A standing eight count, also known as a protection count, is a

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

judgment call made by a

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

during a bout. When invoked, the referee stops the action and counts to eight. During that time, the referee will determine if the boxer can continue. When the count reaches eight, the referee often moves back two steps and instructs the boxer to walk towards him and hold his arms out. This helps the referee determine if the boxer is functioning and alert enough to continue. If the boxer is unsteady on his feet, or seems unable to focus on the referee, the bout is ended on account of a TKO. Typically, a boxer can take up to three standing eight counts in a round.
The standing eight count is designed to protect boxers by allowing the referee to step in and give an overwhelmed fighter an eight-second respite
The standing eight count was instituted in 1982 after the death of boxer

Kim Duk-koo Kim Duk-koo (Hangul:김득구; born Lee Deokgu, Hangul: 이덕구; July 29, 1955November 18, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died after fighting in a world championship boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked reforms aimed at bett ...

. The

Association of Boxing Commissions The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) is a North American not-for-profit professional boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that organizes contests and record-keeping. It is governed by delegates of state, provincial, and tribal at ...

later eliminated the standing eight count in 1998 and it is usually not invoked in professional bouts today. A standing eight count is different from a

mandatory eight count The mandatory eight count, also called a compulsory eight count, is a rule in boxing and kickboxing requiring the referee to give any fighter a count of eight seconds once they have been knocked down by their opponent, and before the fight is all ...

, which is only assessed once a fighter is knocked down.

External links

Standing Eight Count
a
Sports Pundit

References

{{Boxing-stub Boxing rules and regulations