BOXING GLOSSARY: M, N, O
A boxing glossary of terms and phrases through M, N, O – just part of our huge Boxing FAQ.
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Boxing Glossary: M
Main Event
The fight most fight fans came to see; the biggest draw/attraction on the fight card, and the final to take place.
Making Weight
The act of losing enough body mass to ‘make weight’ come the mandatory weigh-in for a fighter’s bout 24 hours later.
Majority Decision (MD)
A fight outcome reached following the final bell of a fight whereby one judge scored it even, and the other two for Fighter A. You can see an example of a Majority Decision in our Boxing Results Guide.
Majority Draw
A Majority Draw carries the same basic outcome as a Draw; reached when two judges score the bout even, and the other for one fighter. You can find out more about fight outcomes in our Boxing Results area.
Manager
A professional who manages and may act as the fighter’s agent; a manager seeks publicity opportunities and works with promoters and agencies to help setup bouts. One of boxing’s current mastermind Managers is Al Haymon, a highly influential figure who looks after a huge roster of fighters.
Mandatory Defense/Challenger
A world champion may be instructed to fight a sanctioning body’s number-one ranked challenger; for instance, the WBC may inform John Smith that he can only defend the title against Joe Bloggs in his next fight. John Smith is not obliged; however, if he does not vacate the title, he will be stripped of it.
Mandatory Eight-Count
A count which is given to ensure a fighter has at least 8 seconds before he resumes action following a knockdown; it was likely instated into boxing rules as a safety measure.
Marquess of Queensberry
A Scotsman, John Douglas, who endorsed a set of rules for contests in 1867; the boxing rules, which have been developed and slightly altered over the years, are imposed by most, if not all boxing commissions. It is a misconception that Douglas also wrote the rules; they were in fact written by Welshman, John Graham Chambers.
Mary Anne
A nickname boxers may give to their favorite or signature punch. For instance, Nonito Donaire’s famous counter left-hook could be called his Mary Anne.
Match
A fight, bout.
Matchmaker
Matchmaking is not always an individual profession; a manager, promoter, or fighter-promoter could undertake an additional matchmaking role. Matchmakers are responsible for creating boxing matchups, quite simply picking which two fighters will share a ring. Careful matchmaking is crucial for successful business; for example, if the matchmaker is looking for an opponent for a young, lucrative prospect, he must calculate a number of factors and risks. An example of arguably bad matchmaking was Amir Khan vs. Breidis Prescott; Prescott was too dangerous an opponent for the fresh, young Khan, and knocked him out in the 1st round. Conversely, a clever yet slightly risky matchmaking was Khan vs. Danny Garcia; since the knockout, Garcia’s profile has increased tenfold.
Mauler
Or Slugger; a ‘mauler’ is characterized as a fighter who looks to inflict severe damage to his opponent through a barrage of vicious punches. Subtlety and patience are words outside of a mauler’s vocabulary.
Medicine Ball
A soccer-sized ball usually made of rubber or leather used a training device. Trainers may hit a fighter’s abdomen to strengthen his muscles; boxers perform various other exercises such as slamming and throwing it to strengthen their shoulders, back and core.
Memorial Ten-Count
The chiming of a bell ten times at the beginning of a fight to honor a recently deceased boxer or servant of boxing, such as a promoter, manager, trainer, or official.
Middleweight
A weight class whereby fighters must weigh-in a maximum of 160lbs/73kg.
Mini Flyweight
Or Light Flyweight, Junior Flyweight, Super Strawweight; boxer’s cannot exceed 108lbs/49kg on the scales.
Minimumweight
Or Strawweight; the lowest weight a fighter can campaign at; a maximum weight limit of 105lbs/48kg is set.
Mismatch
Simply a fight featuring an overmatched boxer; one who is not in the same league as his opponent. Mismatches often displease audiences as they can end in early knockouts or landslide Unanimous Decisions.
Mouse
Due to connecting blows, swelling under the eye/s may take place; a commenter might say that “John Smith has a mouse growing under his right eye.”
Mouthpiece/Mouthguard/Gumshield
A safety aid, usually made of thermoplastic, worn on the top teeth of a fighter to avoid tooth loss and excessive oral pain during a fight. All boxers use mouthpieces – those who care enough about their chompers! – and referees will sometimes halt a bout’s action if a fighter’s mouthpiece falls out or is knocked out.
Boxing Glossary: N
NABF
North American Boxing Federation; a professional sanctioning body who awards title belts to the victors of championship bouts.
Newspaper Decision
In the early 20th century, a No Contest bout may have been reported by a newspaper journalist as a different outcome; officially, the bout still remained a No Contest. Reasons newspapers entered different results was likely because they believed it would help sell the newspaper; i.e. the altered boxing result was more appealing and satisfying to read.
Neutral Corner
A corner of the ring which does not belong to either fighter; these corners are sometimes referred to as ‘white corners’ (the fighter’s corners being red and blue). A fighter who knocks down an opponent will be asked to go to a ‘neutral corner’ while the referee issues a ten-count to the felled fighter.
No Contest (NC)
A bout which is halted by the referee, which results in no winner or loser being declared due to an unusual circumstance which has taken place; you can find out about a No Contest and other results on our Boxing Results page.
No Decision (ND)
The same as a No Contest (above).
No Mas
A statement synonymous with boxer, Roberto Duran, translating to English (from Spanish) as “No More”; the legendary fighter famously spoke the words when retiring himself from a rematch with Sugar Ray Leonard.
Not Being Able to Get Off
Refers to a fighter who cannot seem to find his rhythm and ‘get his punches off’ in a bout. This could be because his timing if off, his opponent is unorthodox/awkward in style, or the said fighter is simply having an off night.
Novice
An inexperienced or inept fighter who poses little threat to top boxers of the fight game.
Number-One Contender
A boxer considered a champion’s most dangerous opponent, or one that stands the greatest chance of toppling him in their respective division. Sanctioning bodies and publications have official rankings they produce to determine who is this contender is.
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Boxing Glossary: O
Official
A member of a sanctioning body, member of a state’s boxing commission, or appointed doctor who is present at a bout to ensure safety, regulations and rules are implemented correctly.
Official Record
A fighter’s official fight record which contains wins, those by knockout, losses, draws and no contests.
Old-Timer
Refers to a boxer who has seen better days in the ring, but is continuing his career in the sport despite showing signs of decline, perhaps in terms of speed, reflexes, and punch resistance.
One-Punch Knockout
Simply a knockdown or knockout that occurs resulting from a single punch delivered, as opposed to a combination. Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton with a single punch, as did Carl Froch against George Groves in their rematch.
One-Two (combination)
Refers to a textbook combination consisting of a jab (lead) quickly followed by a right (rear) hand.
On the Back Foot
A boxer who is said be on the back foot is generally retreating from an attack; however, he may also be a defensively-minded fighter looking to counter his opponent. Floyd Mayweather is often pushed on the back foot by aggressive opponent’s, but is able to effectively box and counter when they open up.
On the Button
A commentator may reflect on a knockout by stating “that shot caught him right on the button”, generally referring to the tip of a fighter’s chin – the area most susceptible to damage.
On the Ropes
Where a fighter is literally on the ropes; generally, the fighter may be in trouble due to his opponent’s successful and punishing attack.
Opening
This refers to an opening (opportunity) to land a punch; for instance, John Smith may notice his opponent drops his right glove when throwing a jab, so Smith may decide to counter with a left-hook.
Open Scoring
Though uncommon, open scoring means judges’ scorecards are tallied throughout the bout and revealed to fighters and audiences at different stages prior to the final bell. The system has its advocates and detractors for various reasons.
Out for the Count
A term often used to describe a fighter who has been knocked out cold, or stands next to no chance of beating the referee’s ten count. Ricky Hatton was knocked ‘out for the count’ in his bout with Manny Pacquiao.
Outgunned
Refers to a fighter who is being picked off, out-landed, and overpowered by a stronger or more skilled opponent.
Outmuscled
Refers to a moment in a bout where a fighter is being physically overwhelmed or somewhat manhandled by a stronger opponent; it does not necessarily mean he is getting punched harder, and is more so struggling to control his opponent during clinches and close-quarter action. An outmuscled fighter may become increasingly fatigued if a stronger opponent uses his bigger frame to, for example, lean on and push their head down during clinches. Shawn Porter notably ‘outmuscled’ and roughed up Devon Alexander in their title bout.
Outpoint
To outpoint an opponent; this refers to professional bouts which are scored on telling blows and ring generalship, and also Amateur bouts which are solely scored on clean connects.
Outside Fighter
As described below; outside fighters try to stay clear of the pocket (danger/punch zone), especially when facing a heavy puncher.
Outside Fighting
Quite the reverse of Infighting; outside fighting occurs when a boxer keeps a safer distance from his opponent, and controls the pace often through straight punches, employing frequent jabs.
Orthodox (stance)
A stance most commonly adopted by boxers who fight with their left foot forward. Conversely, one who leads with his right foot is a called a southpaw. Some fighters are effective with both stances and may switch at any given time during a fight to suit the situation; this is known as switch-hitting.
Orthodox (style)
Generally speaking, an orthodox style is characterized by a fighter who maintains a high guard, tucks in their chin, and throws textbook shots and combinations; it may be said they do everything by the book. Conversely, an unorthodox style fighter may keep his hands at his waist and leave his chin out, for example. Neither style is anymore correct than the other and come down to preference of the individual. Joe Louis is considered a great disciple of orthodox boxing.
Overhand
A punch thrown over the top of an opponent’s, often while using lateral movement; Ruslan Provodnikov used overhand right-counters to great effect in the early stages of his title fight against Timothy Bradley.
Overmatched
Or outclassed; refers to a opponent who is out of his opponent’s league. Most young prospects’ first 10-15 opponent’s are usually heavily overmatched.
Overtraining
It’s crucial that a fighter and his trainer get the balance right in training; under-training is foolish, but overtraining can be equally detrimental. Overtraining may impact a fighter’s performance on fight night due to excessive weight loss or muscle soreness, for example.
Outclassed
Or overmatched; used to a describe a fighter who, due to limited skill, is being picked off or heavily beaten by his opponent. Though Chuck Wepner more or less went the distance, he was heavily outclassed in his bout with Muhammad Ali.
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