“How do you score a round?”

Easily the question I get asked the most.

And—not so coincidentally—the one I talk about the most in this column. Up until now I’ve bored you with the scoring criteria, the concept of doing damage, the misconceptions of scoring and other chestnuts that I’m sure you and other boxing fans talk about endlessly.

Yeah, right.

What smart fans really want to know is: how the hell do judges come up with their scores?

Like everything else in life, there’s a process. There’s an actual way of doing it. Scoring a round isn’t just about memorizing the criteria—it’s an active, second-by-second mental engagement. There’s theory, and then there’s application.

You want a surgeon who not only knows anatomy but knows how to cut you open, move stuff around, and take out the bad parts. There’s knowledge, and then there’s practiced skill. You want that from your surgeon—and you should want that from your boxing judges, too.

Boxing is scored by observing what’s right in front of you as two fighters do their thing. Sometimes they’re doing things simultaneously, and a judge has to decide what’s more effective. Scoring starts at the sound of the bell and evolves in real time. A judge keeps an internal score running as the round unfolds.

The internal dialogue might sound like this:

Hagler moves forward and throws... Leonard slips and blocks… score stays even.

Leonard misses with a pawing jab… Hagler lands two solid body shots… Hagler leads 10-9.

Leonard moves… Hagler misses… Leonard plants and fires a three-punch combo, most of it blocked… round tightens, but Hagler still ahead 10-9…

The Association of Boxing Commissions uses four terms to describe how clearly a fighter is winning a round:

  • Close – a narrow margin

  • Moderate – clearly in favor of one fighter

  • Decisive – one fighter is clearly imposing their will and doing damage

There is even an Excessive Decisive round which refers to a clearly dominant round and usually warrants a 10-8 score. Knockdowns almost always get an additional point.

But here’s where nuance comes in:

If Fighter A is winning a round in decisive or excessive decisive fashion but then suffers a knockdown, that doesn’t automatically make it a 10-8 for Fighter B. That might still be a 10-9 round—judges are supposed to weigh the overall effectiveness and flow of the round, not just one moment.

To give you a feel for how this internal process plays out, I’ve applied mine to Round 10 of Hagler vs. Leonard. It’s a tight round that demands focused attention.

Watch it. Then listen in on my mental scoring process.
https://youtu.be/SGiubSEqy38

What you’ll notice (besides the fact that I probably don’t have a future in play-by-play) is:

  1. The judge should be mentally engaged every second of the round.

  2. A working score should begin early in the round.

  3. The score is dynamic—changing based on the degree of action and effectiveness.

  4. At any moment, if the round stopped, the judge should be ready to submit a score instantly.

This takes concentration. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not passive viewing either. You’ve got to understand what punches are landing, how hard, and how much damage they might be doing.

You can’t do it with an IPA in your hand and a basset hound on your lap.

Do all judges follow this mindset every round? No. They’re human. They get tired, distracted, and sometimes they lose focus. But they shouldn’t.

The goal is simple: be present, watch closely, and score every second from bell to bell.