Why are boxing scores kept secret during the match?
Dear Straight Dope: No one knows the answer to this question. But you will, of course. Please help. Boxing is the only sport I know of in which the score of the match, DURING the match, is kept SECRET from: • the referee • the participants • the audience Why? In football, baseball, tennis, you name it, the score is always right up there on the scoreboard. The players even adjust their strategy according to the score. But boxers must GUESS if they need to go for that knockout in a late round. As I write you, I suddenly have an inspiration. Is it necessary to keep the judges scores secret from EACH OTHER? Is that it? Thank you, great Cecil, for your help. — Larry Stevens Why? Because, you huge wuss, the only way a real man wins a boxing match is to beat up the other guy until he can’t stand up anymore. For a very long time, this was literally true. Prize fighting was simply hitting, biting, gouging, anything short of the use of weapons until the other guy gave up. The first rules were pu
