Boxing

There are pitfalls in scoring. Many boxers conserve strength by coasting through the first part of a round, then close strong in the hope that judges will forget their early indolence. Others stave off weariness by clinching and, with furious movements of the elbows, strive to give the impression that they are engaged in infighting. This is hard to detect on television but must be watched for with particular care.

Three minutes is a long time, as every fighter knows. During a fast round between evenly matched fighters it is sometimes hard to remember at the end which man won most of the exchanges. A good system is to keep mental score during the round, rating Fighter A 6-4 when he wins an exchange, evening it at 5-5 when Fighter B tops him in return, and so until the bell sounds.

Scoring fights adds sophistication and fun to boxing. It is not an exact science but if you keep score and your neighbor does not you are much more entitled to an opinion when the next day's argument starts.