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

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

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 title ...

during a bout in order to give an overwhelmed fighter an eight-second respite. When it is invoked, the referee stops the action and counts to eight while observing the boxer it is called against. 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 by TKO. Typically, a boxer can be granted up to three standing eight counts in a round. The standing eight count was instituted in 1982 after the death of boxer

Kim Duk-koo Kim Duk-koo (; born Lee Deok-gu, ; 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 better protecting the health of bo ...

. However, 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 ...

eliminated it in 1998, believing it to favor the fighter it is called against, so it is seldom applied 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 assessed only once a fighter is knocked down.

External links

Standing Eight Count
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Sports Pundit

References

Boxing rules and regulations {{Boxing-stub