A boxer can win a decision despite finishing with fewer points when all three judges’ cards are added together. In a standard professional bout with three judges, two cards favouring the same fighter are enough for victory. A wide margin on the remaining card cannot overturn them. The round scores are added within each judge’s card, but the three cards stay separate when deciding the winner.

Dmitry Bivol took the undisputed light-heavyweight title from Russian-born Canadian Artur Beterbiev in their February 2025 rematch in Riyadh. Reuters reported a majority-decision victory, with two judges favouring Bivol, 116–112 and 115–113, and the third scoring it 114–114. Bivol had the better of the opening three rounds before Beterbiev found his rhythm in the fourth. Neither boxer celebrated at the final bell; both waited for the announcement. Their first meeting, in October 2024, had ended with the same three scorelines, but with Beterbiev winning.

Image source: Graphic by the author

ALT text: Boxing scorecards showing split decision

When a fight goes the distance, a split decision means two judges favour one boxer and the third favours the opponent. The margin on that third card can be much wider than either winning margin. A fight-winner selection at the Sportaza online sportsbook concerns the bout’s overall winner, whether the judges reach a split, majority, or unanimous decision. Hearing 115–113 twice does not settle the result: those cards could favour opposing boxers. If they do, the third card can give either fighter a split-decision victory or leave the contest drawn. A television scorer might have the other boxer ahead, but that unofficial card has no vote. Nor does a broadcast punch tally replace the judges’ assessments of individual rounds. A boxer can land more punches across the whole fight while losing more rounds on a judge’s card. Punches landed in one dominant round cannot be carried over to compensate for losing the next.

Two Close Cards Against One Wide Card

In a hypothetical twelve-round bout, the first judge scores it 115–113 for Boxer A. The second also has A ahead 115–113. The third scores it 119–109 for Boxer B. A wins by split decision, taking two of the three cards.

Add the points across the panel, and A has 115 plus 115 plus 109, totalling 339. B has 113 plus 113 plus 119, totalling 345. That six-point lead for B does not change the verdict.

All three cards are possible with ordinary 10–9 rounds and no deductions. The first two judges give A seven rounds and B five. A’s seven winning rounds contribute 70 points; the five lost rounds add 45, bringing that card to 115. The third judge gives B eleven rounds and A one.

A 119–109 card records a wider margin than 115–113, but it still contributes just one judge’s decision.

When One Round Changes the Result

Under the ten-point must system, the boxer judged to have won a round normally receives ten points and the opponent nine. Close rounds and clear rounds can both finish 10–9. Winning a round more comfortably does not automatically earn a larger margin.

Judges assess the action within each round. Clean punches count; shots caught on the gloves or arms do not carry the same scoring value. A busy flurry can look impressive without landing effectively, while fewer accurate punches can give the opponent the better of an exchange. Defence and effective pressure also contribute to a judge’s assessment, alongside the punches that land.

Knockdowns and unusually dominant rounds can produce wider scores, such as 10–8. An even round can finish 10–10, and a referee’s point deduction for a foul can alter the totals. Those changes prevent a final score from always translating neatly into a count of rounds won.

With twelve rounds all scored 10–9, six wins apiece produce 114–114. Change one of A’s winning rounds to 10–8 and A finishes ahead 114–113, despite both boxers winning six rounds. The extra margin changes that judge’s card before it joins the other two in determining the verdict.

When a Card Finishes Even

On a 115–113 card made up entirely of 10–9 rounds, switching one round from the leading boxer to the opponent produces 114–114. One fighter loses a point and the other gains one.

If the remaining cards favour opposing boxers, that even card produces a split draw. If both favour the same boxer, the result is a majority-decision win. Two even cards and one favouring either fighter produce a majority draw; three even cards produce a unanimous draw.

Even a wide winning margin on the lone decisive card cannot break a majority draw. Two judges have returned level scores, and that result stands.

Matching Totals, Different Rounds

In April 2025, Chris Eubank Jr beat Conor Benn unanimously, with every judge scoring it 116–112.

A unanimous decision requires all three judges to favour the same boxer, although their margins can differ. Even identical totals do not establish agreement on every round.

In another hypothetical bout scored entirely 10–9, one judge could give A the first eight rounds and B the last four. Another could give A the last eight and B the first four. Both would reach 116–112 while disagreeing on eight individual rounds.

To review a disputed round, compare each judge’s score with the action in that round. Matching final totals can conceal disagreements about which boxer won it.