mouse

en-noun

mouse (plural mice or (computing) mouses)

mice (plural)
mouses (plural)
mowse (alternative obsolete)

→ Bengali: মাউস (maus)

→ Brazilian Portuguese: mouse

→ French: souris (semantic loan)

→ Georgian: მაუსი (mausi)

→ Italian: mouse

→ Japanese: マウス (mausu)

→ Korean: 마우스 (mauseu)

→ Romanian: mouse

→ Spanish: mouse

desc

→ Thai: เมาส์ (máo), เม้าส์ (máo)

→ Thai: เมาส์ (máo), เม้าส์ (máo)

→ Vietnamese: chuột (semantic loan)

From Middle English mous, from Old English mūs, from Proto-West Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Indo-European *múHs.
Cognates
Germanic cognates include Old Frisian mūs, Old Saxon mūs (German Low German Muus), Dutch muis, Old High German mūs (German Maus), Old Norse mús (Swedish mus, Danish mus, Norwegian mus, Icelandic mús, Faroese mús).
Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs), Latin mūs, Spanish mur, Armenian մուկ (muk), Old Church Slavonic мꙑшь (myšĭ) (Russian мышь (myšʹ)), Albanian mi, Persian موش (muš), Northern Kurdish mişk, Sanskrit मूष् (mūṣ).
The computing sense was coined by American engineer Bill English in 1965 and first used publicly in a publication titled "Computer-Aided Display Control", in reference to the similarity with the animal.

coin

the best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray

the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry

(boxing) A facial hematoma or black eye.


leather

en-noun

leather (countable and uncountable, plural leathers)

Tok Pisin: let

→ Esperanto: ledo

→ Ido: ledro

From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (“leather”), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”), possibly borrowed from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitrom, *letros, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥tro-.
Cognate with West Frisian leare (“leather”), Low German Leder (“leather”), Dutch leder, leer (“leather”), German Leder (“leather”), Danish læder (“leather”), Swedish läder (“leather”), Icelandic leður (“leather”).


left

From Middle English left, luft, leoft, lift, lyft, from Old English left, lyft (“weak, clumsy, foolish”), attested in Old English lyftādl (“palsy, paralysis”), from Proto-Germanic *luft-, from *lubjaną (“to castrate, lop off”) (compare dialectal English lib, West Frisian lobje, Dutch lubben), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lewp-, *(s)lup- (“hanging limply”). Compare Scots left (“left”), North Frisian lefts, leeft, leefts (“left”), West Frisian lofts (“left”), obsolete Dutch lucht, leftsch, lefts, lefs (“left”), dialectal Dutch loof (“weak, worthless”), archaic Low German lucht (“left”).

cog

The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul.

1915, C.J. Dennis, The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke, published 1916, page 13:

(boxing) A punch delivered with the left fist.


soak

en-verb

soak (third-person singular simple present soaks, present participle soaking, simple past and past participle soaked)

soaks (present singular third-person)
soaking (participle present)
soaked (participle past)
soaked (past)

From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”). Cognate with Middle Dutch soken (“to cause to suck”). More at suck.

inh

Wasn't Mr. Sipperley pretty shirty when he came to and found that you had been soaking him with putters?

1926, [P.G. Wodehouse], The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy:

(transitive) (slang, boxing) To hit or strike.


distance

en-noun

distance (countable and uncountable, plural distances)

distances (plural)
distaunce (alternative)

From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”)
* German Distanz; German Abstand
* Italian distanza
* Portuguese distância
* Spanish distancia

afstand

(countable, uncountable) amount of space between points

The amount of space between points (often geographical points), usually (but not necessarily) measured along a straight line.

The maximum amount of space between a boxer and their opponent within which the boxer can punch effectively.

etäisyys

(boxing) maximum amount of space between a boxer and their opponent within which the boxer can punch effectively

Often in go the distance, last the distance, or stay the distance: the scheduled duration of a bout.


dig

From Middle English diggen (“to dig”), alteration of Old English dīcian (“to dig a ditch, to mound up earth”) (compare Old English dīcere (“digger”)) from dīc, dīċ (“dike, ditch”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz, *dīkiją (“pool, puddle”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stab, dig”). Additionally, Middle English diggen may derive from an unrecorded suffixed variant, *dīcgian. Akin to Danish dige (“to dig, raise a dike”), Swedish dika (“to dig ditches”). Related to French diguer (“to dig”), from Middle French diguer, from Old French dikier, itself a borrowing of the same Germanic root (from Middle Dutch dijc). More at ditch, dike.

der

[…] 'let him go, I tell you, or I'll be after breaking your ugly mug,' and with that I gave him a dig that knocked him into smithereens.

1836, The Court Magazine and Belle Assemblée, volume 7, page 167:

(archaic, slang) A hard blow, especially (boxing) a straight left-hander delivered under the opponent's guard.


chin

From Middle English chyn, from Old English ċinn (“chin”), from Proto-West Germanic *kinnu, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz (“chin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“chin, jaw”).
Compare West Frisian/Dutch kin, Low German/German Kinn, Danish kind, Icelandic kinn, Welsh gen, Latin gena, Tocharian A śanweṃ, Ancient Greek γένυς (génus, “jaw”), Armenian ծնոտ (cnot), Persian چانه (čâne), Sanskrit हनु (hánu). Doublet of gena.

inh

(boxing, uncountable) The ability to withstand being punched in the chin without being knocked out.


swing

en-verb

swing (third-person singular simple present swings, present participle swinging, simple past swung or (archaic or dialectal) swang, past participle swung or (archaic) swungen)

swings (present singular third-person)
swinging (participle present)
swung (past)
swang (archaic dialectal past)
swung (participle past)
swungen (archaic participle past)

From Middle English swyngen, from Old English swingan, from Proto-West Germanic *swingan, from Proto-Germanic *swinganą (compare Low German swingen, German schwingen, Dutch zwingen, Swedish svinga), from Proto-Indo-European *swenk-, *sweng- (compare Scottish Gaelic seang (“thin”)). Related to swink.

lyödä kierre

cricket: to make the ball move sideways in its trajectory

at church every time the doors swing open

(transitive and intransitive, boxing) To move one's arm in a punching motion.

замахвам

boxing: to move one's arm in a punching motion


swing

en-noun

swing (countable and uncountable, plural swings)

what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts

(boxing) A type of hook with the arm more extended.


wind

wind (countable and uncountable, plural winds)

winds (plural)
winde (alternative obsolete)

Tok Pisin: win

Torres Strait Creole: win

From Middle English wynd, wind, from Old English wind (“wind”), from Proto-West Germanic *wind, from Proto-Germanic *windaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥tos (“wind”), from earlier *h₂wéh₁n̥ts (“wind”), derived from the present participle of *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”).
Cognates
Cognate with Dutch wind, German Wind, West Frisian wyn, Norwegian and Swedish vind, Icelandic vindur, Latin ventus, Welsh gwynt, Sanskrit वात (vā́ta), Russian ве́тер (véter), perhaps Albanian bundë (“strong damp wind”). Doublet of athlete, vent, weather and nirvana.

it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good

you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

(boxing, slang) The region of the solar plexus, where a blow may paralyze the diaphragm and cause temporary loss of breath or other injury.


box

en-verb

box (third-person singular simple present boxes, present participle boxing, simple past and past participle boxed)

boxes (present singular third-person)
boxing (participle present)
boxed (participle past)
boxed (past)

⇒ French: boxer
→ Catalan: boxar

⇒ Galician: boxear

⇒ German: boxen

⇒ Portuguese: boxear, boxar

⇒ Spanish: boxear

From Middle English box (“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”); further origin uncertain, with relation to Proto-Germanic *boki-, whence Danish bask (“a blow; a stripe”), Danish baske (“to flap, move around, beat violently”), Middle Dutch boke (“a blow, a hit”), bōken (“to slap, strike”) (modern Dutch beuken (“to slap”)), West Frisian bûkje, bûtse, bûtsje (“to slap”), West Frisian and Saterland Frisian batsje (“to slap”), Low German betschen (“to slap, beat with a flat hand”), Middle High German buc (“a blow, a stroke”), bochen (“to slap, strike”), and further onomatopoeic shaping.
The verb is from Middle English boxen (“to beat or whip (an animal)”), which is derived from the noun.

inh

(transitive, boxing) To fight against (a person) in a boxing match.

боксирам

to fight against (a person) in a boxing match

(intransitive, stative, boxing) To participate in boxing; to be a boxer.


rough

en-verb

rough (third-person singular simple present roughs, present participle roughing, simple past and past participle roughed)

roughs (present singular third-person)
roughing (participle present)
roughed (participle past)
roughed (past)
ruff (alternative pronunciation-spelling)

From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz.
Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).

cog

[…] roughing is not a part of the sport, and will not be tolerated. Referees will not permit unfair practices that may cause injury to a contestant, and are held strictly responsible for enforcing these rules.

1938, California. State Athletic Commission, Rules, Regulations and Law Regulating Boxing and Wrestling (page 42)

(boxing, wrestling, intransitive) To break the rules by being excessively violent.


put out

en-verb

put out (third-person singular simple present puts out, present participle putting out, simple past and past participle put out)

puts out (present singular third-person)
putting out (participle present)
put out (participle past)
put out (past)

(transitive) To cause something to be out, particularly

(boxing and medicine) Synonym of knock out: to render unconscious.


NBA

National Boxing Association
w:National Boxing Association

(sports) Initialism of National Boxing Association.


hook

sometimes in Northern England and Ireland, otherwise obsolete

From Middle English hoke, from Old English hōc, from Proto-West Germanic *hōk, from Proto-Germanic *hōkaz, variant of *hakô (“hook”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kog-, *keg-, *keng- (“peg, hook, claw”).
Cognates
Compare West Frisian heak, Dutch haak (“hook”)) (compare West Frisian/Dutch hoek (“hook, angle, corner”), Low German Hook, Huuk); also related to hake.

The heavyweight delivered a few powerful hooks that staggered his opponent.

American Ward was too quick and too slick for his British rival, landing at will with razor sharp jabs and hooks and even bullying Froch at times.

2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport:

(boxing) a type of punch delivered with the arm rigid and partially bent and the fist travelling nearly horizontally mesially along an arc


cross

→ Japanese: クロス (kurosu)

From Middle English cross, cros, from Old English cros (“rood, cross”), from Old Norse kross, from Old Irish cros, from Latin crux (crucī). In this sense displaced native Middle English rood, from Old English rōd; see rood. Compare Welsh croes, Irish crois.
The sense of "two intersecting lines drawn or cut on a surface; two lines intersecting at right angles" without regard to religious signification develops from the late 14th century.
Cognates
*Icelandic kross (“cross”)
*Faroese krossur (“cross”)
*Norwegian Nynorsk kross, kors (“cross”)
*Danish kors (“cross”)
*Swedish kors (“cross”)
*North Frisian kross, korss (“cross”)
*Saterland Frisian Krjuus, Kjus (“cross”)
*West Frisian krús (“cross”)
*Dutch kruis (“cross”)
*German Low German Krüüz (“cross”)
*German Kreuz (“cross”)

(boxing) A hook thrown over the opponent's punch.


decision

decision (third-person singular simple present decisions, present participle decisioning, simple past and past participle decisioned)

decisions (present singular third-person)
decisioning (participle present)
decisioned (participle past)
decisioned (past)

Derived from Middle French, from Latin dēcīsiō, dēcīsiōnis, from dēcīdō (“to decide”).

(boxing) To defeat an opponent by a decision of the judges, rather than by a knockout


bout

From Middle English bout, bowt, bught (whence also modern English bought (“bend, curve”)), probably from Old English *buht (“bend, turn”), an unrecorded variant of Old English byht (“a bend, curve”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhti, from Proto-Germanic *buhtiz (“a bend”). Equivalent to bow + -t. Doublet of bight and bought.
For the sense development compare bender.

An Italian boxer abandoned her bout at the Paris Olympics after only 46 seconds on Thursday, refusing to continue after taking a heavy punch from an Algerian opponent who had been disqualified from last year’s world championships over questions about her eligibility to compete in women’s sports.

2024 August 1, Tariq Panja, Jeré Longman, “Italian Boxer Quits Bout, Sparking Furor Over Gender at Olympics”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


pepper

en-noun

pepper (countable and uncountable, plural peppers)

peppers (plural)
piper (alternative archaic)

Tok Pisin: pepa

→ Hawaiian: pepa

→ Marshallese: pepa

From Middle English peper, piper, from Old English piper, from Proto-West Germanic *pipar, from Latin piper, from an Indo-Aryan source; compare Sanskrit पिप्पलि (pippali, “long pepper”). The name was given to the capsicum fruit because of its unusual spicy taste, not unlike the Old World spice. Cognate with Scots pepar, Saterland Frisian Pieper, West Frisian piper, Dutch peper, German Low German Peper, German Pfeffer, Danish peber, Swedish peppar, Icelandic pipar. Doublet of falafel and peepul.

cog

He means to snatch the laurels from his brow, / At all his boasted pluck and prowess smile, / And give him pepper in superior style.

1906, Henry Downes Miles, Pugilistica, page 61:

[T]he Chicken had been tapped, and bunged, and had received pepper, and had been made groggy, and had come up piping, and had endured a complication of similar strange inconveniences, until he had been gone into and finished.

1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:


royal

en-adj

royal (comparative royaler or royaller, superlative royalest or royallest)

royaler (comparative)
royaller (comparative)
royalest (superlative)
royallest (superlative)
r. (alternative abbreviation)
roial (alternative obsolete)
roiall (alternative obsolete)
royall (alternative obsolete)
royaler (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English royal, from Old French roial (Modern French royal), from Latin rēgālis, from rēx (“king”). Doublet of regal (“befitting a king”), real (“unit of currency”), ariary, and riyal. Cognate with Spanish real. Displaced native Old English cynelīċ.

doublet

(boxing, military) Free-for-all, especially involving multiple combatants.


jab

Originally a Scottish (unclear if Scots or Scottish English) form of English job (“peck, poke, thrust”), from Middle English jobben.


boxing glove

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-boxing glove.wav

(boxing, clothing) A padded mitten, designed to protect the hand while punching, and worn in boxing.


boxing

(sports) A sport where two opponents punch each other with gloved fists to head and torso; the object being to score more points by the end of the match or by knockout, or technical knockout.


boxer

You can tell she's a boxer by looking at her nose.

A participant in a boxing match; a fighter who boxes.


speedball

en-noun

speedball (countable and uncountable, plural speedballs)

speedballs (plural)
speed ball (alternative)
speed-ball (alternative)

(boxing) Synonym of speed bag (“type of punching bag”).


fib

en-verb

fib (third-person singular simple present fibs, present participle fibbing, simple past and past participle fibbed)

fibs (present singular third-person)
fibbing (participle present)
fibbed (participle past)
fibbed (past)

Fib the cove's quarron in the rumpad for the lour in his bung; beat the fellow in the highway for the money in his purse.

1785, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, published 1788, To Fib:

The Chicken himself attributed this punishment to his having had the misfortune to get into Chancery early in the proceedings, when he was severely fibbed by the Larkey one, and heavily grassed.

As Biggs and his party arrived, I heard Hawkins say to Berry, "For heaven’s sake, my boy, fib with your right, and mind his left hand!"

1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “The Fight at Slaughter House”, in Men's Wives, page 16:

Then there was a wild scuffle and a furious outcry, and all the bargemen for a moment seemed to hug me and themselves too; when, as there was no room to hit out, in the phraseology of the ring, I fibbed at half-a-dozen waistcoats and faces with all my might and main.

1865, Grantley Berkeley, “Eton Boys”, in My Life and Recollections, volume 1, page 311:

Quoth he, "Thou dost surely jest when thou sayest that thou dost not understand such words. Answer me this: Hast thou ever fibbed a chouse quarrons in the Rome pad for the loure in his bung?"

1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood […], New York, N.Y.: […] Charles Scribner’s Sons […], →OCLC, part sixth, page 207:

(archaic, thieves' cant, boxing) To punch, especially a series of punches in rapid succession; to beat; to hit; to strike.


feint

The noun is borrowed from French feinte (“dummy, feint”), from feindre (“to fake, feign”), from Old French feindre, faindre, from Latin fingere, the present active infinitive of fingō (“to alter the truth to deceive, dissemble, feign, pretend; to fashion, form, shape”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* Italian finta
* Occitan fencha, fenha
* Old Spanish finta (modern Spanish finta (“dummy, feint”))

He had some advantage in the difference of our weapons; for his sword, as I recollect, was longer than mine, […] His obvious malignity of purpose never for a moment threw him off his guard, and he exhausted every feint and strategem proper to the science of defence; while, at the same time, he mediated the most desperate catastrophe to our rencounter.

1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter XII, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, pages 251–252:

It is also possible to deliver a compound riposte by using an indirect feint. The attacking fencer would be open to a compound riposte following a successful parry by their opponent.

1999, Allan Skipp, “Key Techniques”, in Handbook of Foil Fencing, Armley, Leeds: Coachwise Business Solutions for British Fencing, published 2006, →ISBN, page 36:

(boxing, fencing) A blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an attack on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part.

klamný pohyb

(boxing, fencing) offensive movement resembling an attack on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part


feint

feint (third-person singular simple present feints, present participle feinting, simple past and past participle feinted)

feints (present singular third-person)
feinting (participle present)
feinted (participle past)
feinted (past)

Genevra scowled and said, "His word is wild, / But dastard treason feinteth such disorders: / Treason or witchcraft neither, undefiled, / A Christian court may cherish in its borders."

1882, T. Alderson Wilson, “Lanval”, in Perseus and Other Essays in Verse, London: Ranken and Co., […], →OCLC, page 74:

Even Penrod's walk was affected; he adopted a gait which was a kind of taunting swagger; and, when he passed other children on the street, he practised the habit of feinting a blow; then, as the victim dodged, he rasped out the triumphant horse laugh which he gradually mastered to horrible perfection.

1914, Booth Tarkington, “The Imitator”, in Penrod, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 231:

I spurred on the Turani instead of pulling him in, and stood up in the saddle just as we came upon the two. By feinting a slash at one I made him throw up his saber to guard his head. Then, leaning down as the three ponies came together, I cut at the other's neck, getting home over his blade. His mount reared and shelled him out of the saddle like a pea out of a pod.

1924 October 10, Harold Lamb, “Forward”, in Arthur Sullivant Hoffman, editor, Adventure, volume XLIX, number I, New York, N.Y., London: The Ridgway Company, →OCLC, page 25, column 1:

To direct (a blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an attack) on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part.

tehdä harhautusliike

to direct (a blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an attack) on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part

Feint him—use your legs! draw him about! he'll lose his wind then in no time, and you can go into him.

1857, [Thomas Hughes], “The Fight”, in Tom Brown’s School Days. […], Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, part II, page 323:

(rare) To direct a feint or mock attack against (someone).

tehdä valehyökkäys

to direct a feint or mock attack against (someone or something)

Ben-Hur feinted with his right hand. The stranger warded, slightly advancing his left arm. Ere he could return to guard, Ben-Hur caught him by the wrist in a grip which years at the oar had made terrible as a vise.

1880 November 12, Lew[is] Wallace, chapter XVI, in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, book fifth, page 387:

My assailant stood a little; in the thick darkness I could see him bob and sidle as though he were feinting at me for an advantageous onfall.

1893–1897 (date written), Robert Louis Stevenson, “Swanston Cottage”, in St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1897, →OCLC, page 67:

Gomez feinted with his knife and the other man darted backward. He feinted again and the man moved to the side. The man feinted but Gomez didn't budge; he was anxious to get it on.

1984, Len Levinson, chapter 3, in Meat Grinder Hill (The Rat Bastards; 4), [San Francisco, Calif.]: AudioGO, published 2013, →ISBN:

(intransitive, boxing, fencing, also often military) To make a feint or mock attack.


feint

Borrowed from French feint, the past participle of feindre (“to fake, feign”): see etymology 1.

(boxing, fencing, also often military) Of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike.

harhautus-

of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike


pugilist

From Latin pugil (“boxer”) + -ist, related to pugnus (“fist”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“prick, punch”). Compare contemporary pugilism (“boxing”) (1791).

der

I laugh and hoot at ye, ye cricket-players, ye pugilists, ye deaf Burkes and blind Bendigoes!

In 1925, boxer shorts were unleashed on the world: loose-fitting underwear for men, featuring an elastic waistband inspired by the shorts worn by boxers. It was underwear for the inner pugilist.

2018, Alan Burdick, “Science has Resolved the Question of Boxers vs. Briefs”, in The New Yorker:

One who fights with their fists, especially a professional prize fighter; a boxer.

مُلَاكِم

one who fights with their fists — see also boxer


reach

From Middle English rechen, from Old English rǣċan (“to reach”), from Proto-West Germanic *raikijan, from Proto-Germanic *raikijaną, from the Proto-Indo-European *Hreyǵ- (“to bind, reach”).

(boxing) The distance a boxer's arm can extend to land a blow.

ulottuvuus

boxing: distance a boxer's arm can extend


drum

Perhaps back-formation from drumslade (“drummer”), from Middle Dutch trommelslach (“drumbeat”), from trommel (“drum”) + slach (“beat”) (Dutch slag).
Or perhaps borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch tromme (“drum”), Middle Low German trumme (“drum”) et al. Compare also Middle High German trumme, trumbe (“drum”), Old High German trumba (“trumpet”).


corner

→ German: Corner

→ Japanese: コーナー (kōnā)

From Middle English corner, from Anglo-Norman cornere (compare Old French cornier, corniere (“corner”)), from Old French corne (“corner, angle”, literally “a horn, projecting point”), from Vulgar Latin *corna (“horn”), from Latin cornua, plural of cornū (“projecting point, end, horn”). The sense of "angle, corner" in Old French is not found in Latin or other Romance languages. It was possibly calqued from Frankish *hurnijā (“corner, angle”), which is similar to, and derived from *hurn, the Frankish word for "horn". Displaced native cognate Middle English hirn, herne, from Old English hyrne, from Proto-Germanic *hurnijǭ (“little horn, hook, angle, corner”), whence modern English hirn (“nook, corner”), itself related to horn.

nurkka

business: interest that is sufficient for price manipulation

(heading) Relating to the playing field.

(boxing) The corner of the ring, which is where the boxer rests before and during a fight.

(boxing, by extension) The group of people who assist a boxer during a bout.


prizefighter

From prize + fighter or prizefight + -er (“person, agent”). See prizefight for sense development.

“Champion Victory Wreath No. III,” a watercolor by Richard Yarde in which he applies his inventiveness to the prizefighter Jack Johnson.

1977 December 16, Hilton Kramer, “Art: Requiem For a Heavyweight”, in The New York Times:

The Bed-Stuy Boxing Center, the Brooklyn gym that is the center of Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen's wrenching documentary "On the Ropes," is much more than a neighborhood training facility for aspiring prizefighters.

1999 August 18, Stephen Holden, “FILM REVIEW; For Three Aspiring Prizefighters, the Prize Is Hope”, in The New York Times:


muffle

From Middle English muflen (“to muffle”), aphetic alteration of Anglo-Norman amoufler, from Old French enmoufler (“to wrap up, muffle”), from moufle (“mitten”), from Medieval Latin muffula (“a muff”), of Germanic origin (—first recorded in the Capitulary of Aachen in 817 C.E.), from Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) from *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) (from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“sleeve”)) + *vël (“skin, hide”) (from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”). Alternate etymology traces the Medieval Latin word to Frankish *molfell (“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molawēn (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”), English mulch) + *fell (“hide, skin”).

der

N.B.—Mr Broughton proposes, with proper assistance, to open an academy at his house in the Haymarket, for the instruction of those who are willing to be initiated in the mystery of boxing: […] muffles are provided, that will effectually secure them from the inconveniency of black eyes, broken jaws, and bloody noses.

1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:


walkover

walkovers (plural)
walk-over (alternative)

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(boxing) A match whose winner is declared because the other boxer does not appear in the ring within one minute of the official time.


counter

en-verb

counter (third-person singular simple present counters, present participle countering, simple past and past participle countered)

counters (present singular third-person)
countering (participle present)
countered (participle past)
countered (past)

From Old French contre, Anglo-Norman cuntre, both from Latin contra.

[ˈkʰaʊ̯.ɾ̃ɚ]

His left hand countered provokingly.

1857, Charles Kingsley, “(please specify the page)”, in Two Years Ago, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC:

(boxing) To return a blow while receiving one, as in boxing.

vastata

boxing: to return a blow while receiving one


peekaboo

peekaboo boxing

a peekaboo guard

(boxing) Being or using a style of boxing with the hands kept close to the face to defend it.


set up

set up (third-person singular simple present sets up, present participle setting up, simple past and past participle set up)

sets up (present singular third-person)
setting up (participle present)
set up (participle past)
set up (past)

When you make an opening you merely cause an opponent to uncover a target somewhere on his person. But when you set up an opponent, you knock him off balance with one punch so that he should be an open target for a following punch. Unless he's knocked off balance, he's not set up.

1950, Jack Dempsey, chapter 23, in Championship Fighting: Explosive Punching and Aggressive Defense:

Writer Danny Wamboldt of Ring magazine said, "Only Willie knew how to set up his opponents masterfully and then move in." Wamboldt, a former New England bantamweight champion and current national president of the Veteran Boxers Association, said that one of Pep's opponents said of his dazzling speed: "It was the first time he had been surrounded by one man."

1997 September 24, Joe Duffy, “TRIBUTES TO THE MAN AND THE BOXER”, in Hartford Courant:

(boxing) To deceive an opponent and capitalize on their reactions with a certain technique or maneuver.


setup

The jab is most commonly used as a setup for other strikes.

(boxing) A move or set of moves which are meant to draw out a reaction which leaves an exploitable opening in defense.


chancery

en-noun

chancery (countable and uncountable, plural chanceries)

/ˈt͡ʃɑːnsəɹɪ/

/ˈt͡ʃænsəɹɪ/

/ˈt͡ʃɑːnsəɹi/

From French chancellerie, from Late Latin cancellaria, from Latin cancellarius, from Latin cancellus (“lattice”) (English chancel), from Latin cancelli (“grating, bars”), from the lattice-work that separated a section of a church or court.
See related chancellor and chancellery, and the more distantly related incarcerate (“put behind bars”), from carcer (“prison”).
The adverbial form is an allusion to the condition of a person involved in the chancery court.

The Chicken himself attributed this punishment to his having had the misfortune to get into Chancery early in the proceedings, when he was severely fibbed by the Larkey one, and heavily grassed.

1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

(boxing, slang) The position of a boxer's head when under his adversary's arm.


chancery

/ˈt͡ʃɑːnsəɹɪ/

/ˈt͡ʃænsəɹɪ/

/ˈt͡ʃɑːnsəɹi/

[Round] 9. This was a scientific round on both sides; Acton got away well; and also parried some tremendous blows. The latter, however, received a chancery nobber; but he contended every inch of ground till he went down.

1823 May 14, “Sporting Intelligence”, in The Literary Humbug, number 1, page 15, Between Peter Crawley and Dick Acton:

15th round. Chancery. Fibbing. Biggs makes dreadful work with his left. Break away. Rally. Biggs down. Betting still six to four on the gown-boy.

1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “The Fight at Slaughter House”, in Men's Wives, page 17:

(boxing) With the head of an antagonist under one's arm, so that one can pommel it with the other fist at will.


give in

en-verb

give in (third-person singular simple present gives in, present participle giving in, simple past gave in, past participle given in)

gives in (present singular third-person)
giving in (participle present)
gave in (past)
given in (participle past)

(boxing, of a pugilist) To droop the head.


breakaway

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From break + away, a deverbal from break away.

2011, Colleen Aycock and Mark Scott (eds.), The First Black Boxing Champions: Essays on Fighters of the 1800s to the 1920s, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., Appendix: The Great Fights, George Dixon vs. Jack Skelly (September 6, 1892), p. 262,
The gong sounded almost immediately after the breakaway.

(boxing) The act of getting away from one's opponent; the separation of the boxers after a spell of infighting.


KO

Initialism of knock out.
Initialism of kick-off.


KO

KO (third-person singular simple present KOs or KO's, present participle KOing or KO'ing, simple past and past participle KOed or KO'd)

KOs (present singular third-person)
KO's (present singular third-person)
KOing (participle present)
KO'ing (participle present)
KOed (participle past)
KOed (past)
KO'd (participle past)
KO'd (past)

Joe KO'd the opposing boxer.

(transitive, boxing) To knock someone out, to render someone unconscious.


RSC

en-noun

RSC (countable and uncountable, plural RSCs)

(boxing) Initialism of referee stops the contest.


heavyweight

(uncountable, boxing) The professional boxing weight class for boxers weighing more than 190 pounds; a boxer in that division.


shadowbox

en-verb

shadowbox (third-person singular simple present shadowboxes, present participle shadowboxing, simple past and past participle shadowboxed)

shadowboxes (present singular third-person)
shadowboxing (participle present)
shadowboxed (participle past)
shadowboxed (past)
shadow-box (alternative)
shadow box (alternative)

From shadow + box (“to fight in a boxing match”).

com

He was shadowboxing to keep fit and practice before the big fight.

The fighter starts to shadowbox in front of them.

1975, Stephen Dunning, Literature for Adolescents, page 392:

McAfferty giggled, then stepped back and shadowboxed, jabbing the air with his little fists.

He shadowboxed harder than anyone I had seen before, and I soon developed that habit, too.

2018, Glen Sharp, Punching from the Shadows, page 117:

(boxing, martial arts) To practice moves without an actual opponent, often in front of a mirror.


palooka

H. L. Mencken
Ham Fisher
Joe Palooka
The American Language

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).

unk

Used

But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.

Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend?
Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.

1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction:

(US, boxing, bridge, etc) Someone incompetent or untalented.


corkscrew

[…] the immovable McCoy let fly his most miraculous punch of the evening, of his lives, a world-beater of a right corkscrew, a punch years in the windup […]

2002, Darin Strauss, The Real McCoy, →ISBN, page 42:

(boxing, martial arts) A type of sharp, twisting punch, often one thrown close and from the side.

コークスクリュー

boxing, martial arts: a type of sharp, twisting punch


no contest

Calque of Latin nolō contendere (“I don't want to contest”).

cal

(boxing, historical) The result of a boxing bout, promoted as an exhibition when the sport of boxing was illegal, when a knockout did not occur.

(boxing) A bout that the referee cancels early, either due to a serious injury early in the fight or due to a lack of action


welter-weight

Originally “heavyweight horseman” (1832), from welter (“heavyweight horseman”) + weight. Boxing sense 1896.

compound

(boxing) between lightweight and middleweight


welter-weight

welter-weights (plural)
welterweight (alternative)

(boxing) a boxer weighing more than a lightweight boxer and less than a middleweight boxer; someone boxing in the welterweight class


tweener

Undoubtedly, his record versus welterweights (147 pounds) is better than against full-blown middleweights (160 pounds). Being a tweener, Graziano probably would have campaigned as a junior middleweight (154 pounds) if he fought today.

2023, Rod Honecker, Brick City Grudge Match: Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano Battle in Newark, 1948, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 146:

(informal) A person or thing that is between two categories, classes or age groups.

(boxing) A boxer in various newcomer weight classes whose names often contain super, light or junior.


cauliflower ear

en-noun

cauliflower ear (plural cauliflower ears)

A huge man with a notable cauliflower ear was peering into the car, a scowl of suspicion upon his face.

1928 February 25 – March 3, Arthur Conan Doyle, “When the World Screamed”, in The Professor Challenger Stories […], London: John Murray, […], published [1952], →OCLC, page 560:

Having gone in a lot for boxing from his earliest years, he had the cauliflower ear of which I had spoken to Aunt Dahlia and in addition to this a nose which some hidden hand had knocked slightly out of the straight.

1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter III, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:

(boxing, wrestling, sports, pathology) An ear swollen and deformed by repeated blows, common among boxers and rugby players.


flyweight

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(martial arts) A weight class in many combat sports; e.g. in professional boxing of a maximum of 112 pounds or 50.8 kilograms.

kärpässarjalainen

combat sports -related term for small, light or unimportant


canister

desctree

→ German: Kanister
→ Ladin: canister
→ Polish: kanister
→ Romanian: canistră

→ Irish: ceanastar

From Middle English canustyr (“basket”), a borrowing from Latin canistrum. Doublet of canaster and knaster.
* (metal receptacle): Through influence of unrelated can.
* (projectile): Short for canister shot, so called for its casing.

Caunt let fly left and right, but Bendy ducked his canister, and got down with more caution than gallantry.

1897, R. G. Allanson-Winn, Bertram Fletcher Robinson, Boxing, page 225:

(boxing, slang, archaic) A person's head.


low blow

(boxing) An unfair or illegal blow that lands below the opponent’s waist.


below the belt

(boxing) Of a punch, landing illegally, below the opponent's waist.

onder de gordel

(boxing) of a punch that lands below the opponent's waist


slugger

(boxing) A boxer who tends to deliver hard punches.


chess boxing

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A hybrid sport involving alternating rounds of chess and boxing.


jawbreaker

jawbreakers (plural)
jaw-breaker (alternative)
jaw breaker (alternative)

Bendoff went pluckily forward, but only to receive a jawbreaker from Couper's left, […]

1987, James Clarke, Like it was: The Star, 100 Years in Johannesburg, page 9:

(boxing, slang) A hard blow to the side of the face.


take a dive

en-verb

take a dive (third-person singular simple present takes a dive, present participle taking a dive, simple past took a dive, past participle taken a dive)

takes a dive (present singular third-person)
taking a dive (participle present)
took a dive (past)
taken a dive (participle past)

I decided there could be a nice bit of irony in a situation where a boxer, with a crown his for the taking, deliberately takes a dive to get revenge on the man he hates, who is betting everything on the boxer's victory.

1950, Jules Archer, I Sell What I Write, page 44:

"You got a fight next weekend. You take a dive in the fourth round, understand?"

2012, Gary Lovisi, “Boxing, Babes & Bullets”, in Battling Boxing Stories, Wildside Press LLC, →ISBN, page 165:

The businessman turned promoter rejected some of overseas rumors going around that Klitschko bet a large portion of funds on himself and then took a dive to collect.

2015 December 31, Vadim Pushkin, “Povetkin Promoter Praises Fury, Rejects Klitschko Dive Claim”, in Boxing Scene, retrieved 2016-08-03:

(idiomatic, boxing) To feign a knockout in order to lose intentionally.


smother

smother (third-person singular simple present smothers, present participle smothering, simple past and past participle smothered)

smothers (present singular third-person)
smothering (participle present)
smothered (participle past)
smothered (past)
smoother (alternative)

From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”).
Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).

cog

(boxing) To prevent the development of an opponent's attack by one's arm positioning.


tale of the tape

(boxing) The pre-fight measurements taken of the combatants.


pound-for-pound

Sugar Ray Robinson is pound for pound the best boxer ever.

Oakland native Ward is now unbeaten in 25 fights and can now claim to be one of the top few pound-for-pound fighters on the planet after a technically dazzling display.

2011 December 18, Ben Dirs, “Carl Froch outclassed by dazzling Andre Ward”, in BBC Sport:

(sports, boxing) A comparison of fighters' (usually boxers) skill levels, regardless of what weight class they are in.


squared circle

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(sports, boxing, wrestling, professional wrestling) The boxing or wrestling ring.


take the fall

en-verb

take the fall (third-person singular simple present takes the fall, present participle taking the fall, simple past took the fall, past participle taken the fall)

takes the fall (present singular third-person)
taking the fall (participle present)
took the fall (past)
taken the fall (participle past)
take a fall (alternative)

(idiomatic, informal, sports, especially boxing) To willingly lose a match, as in a fixed fight.


one-two

(boxing) A one-two punch; two punches delivered in rapid succession

une-deux

boxing: two-punches delivered in rapid succession


float like a butterfly

float like a butterfly (third-person singular simple present floats like a butterfly, present participle floating like a butterfly, simple past and past participle floated like a butterfly)

floats like a butterfly (present singular third-person)
floating like a butterfly (participle present)
floated like a butterfly (participle past)
floated like a butterfly (past)

(colloquial, simile) To move effortlessly and in an agile fashion.


sting like a bee

sting like a bee (third-person singular simple present stings like a bee, present participle stinging like a bee, simple past and past participle stung like a bee)

stings like a bee (present singular third-person)
stinging like a bee (participle present)
stung like a bee (participle past)
stung like a bee (past)

(colloquial, simile) to deliver a powerful punch


boko

Circa 1820. Multiple potential origins:
* From beak (“nose”)
* From French beaucoup (“very much”)
* Blend of beak (“nose”) + coconut
* From boke (“point; thrust”)
* From poke, as in poke one's nose into

[…] the way he hid the Pernod card and bumped me on the boko when I tried to have a dekko at it proves that.

1943, W[illiam] E[arl] Johns, Biggles Fails to Return, page 115:

He sang Landor's lines in a quavering falsetto, then broke raucously into the schoolboy battle-cry of "Hit him on the boko, hit him on the boko, Jericho!"

1965, The Illustrated Weekly of India, volume 86, number 1, page 41:

He let out a yell, his eyes watering from the punch on the boko.

2012, Mary Dobbs Wood, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Inventing My Childhood, page 45:

(dated, Australia, West Midlands, originally boxing) The nose.


ham-and-egger

From boxing, where a poor boxer would only win enough money to pay for meals; ham and egg + -er.

Well, it's just that, you see, uh, I fight in clubs, you know, and uh, I'm really a ham-and-egger. This guy, he's the best, and uh, it wouldn't be such a good fight.

1976 November 21, Rocky, spoken by Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone):


tomato can

Presumably because of tendency to bleed when battered, tomato juice leaking from a can being a metaphor for bleeding.

(slang, boxing, derogatory) An inferior fighter in the sport of boxing. The insinuation is that an up-and-coming fighter takes on a "tomato can" to burnish his reputation and record.

(slang, boxing) A boxer who takes a dive, or loses a fight on purpose.


kayo

His stunning title-winning kayo of Charles captivated the country, and on top of everything, he was actually an amazing fighter for one of his years, both as a puncher and boxer.

2023, Ian Phimister, David Patrick, editors, A Boxing Legacy: The Life and Works of Writer and Cartoonist Ted Carroll, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 239:


uppercut

(boxing) A swinging blow aimed upwards at the opponent's chin.


infighting

en-noun

infighting (countable and uncountable, plural infightings)

From in- + fighting. Compare Middle English infighten (“to attack”), Old English infiht (“infighting”).

Tate predicted that Wills, famed for infighting, would have to change his tactics against Firpo to avoid being knocked "very loose."

1924 September 1, “Abdication”, in Time:

His left jab pecked at McTigue's face, and at infighting he matched the champion on even terms.

1955 March 28, Charles Lesemann, “Ruckus in Georgia”, in Sports Illustrated:

(boxing) Fighting with one's opponent closer than arm's length.

lähiottelu

boxing: fighting with the opponent close


featherweight

/ˈfɛðɚˌweɪt/

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Safety and fairness in female sport was one of the most prominent topics at this summer’s Olympic Games, where boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting took gold in the women’s welterweight and featherweight categories respectively.

2024 November 4, Jamie Gardner, “Mandatory genetic testing in sport ‘not justified, ethical or viable’, say academics”, in The Independent:

A weight class in many combat sports; e.g. in professional boxing of a maximum of 126 pounds or 57.2 kilograms.


bantamweight

bantamweight (countable and uncountable, plural bantamweights)

(boxing, uncountable) A weight class in boxing and other sports, intermediate between flyweight and featherweight. In boxing it ranges from 112 to 118 pounds (51 to 54 kg).


go the distance

en-verb

go the distance (third-person singular simple present goes the distance, present participle going the distance, simple past went the distance, past participle gone the distance)

goes the distance (present singular third-person)
going the distance (participle present)
went the distance (past)
gone the distance (participle past)

"In a way it's like the quality of muscle and heart that enables some prizefighters to go the distance—twenty, thirty, forty rounds, say," Dick concurred.

1915, Jack London, chapter 20, in The Little Lady of the Big House:

It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, even, cause I all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, seein' that bell ring and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.

(boxing) To participate in a boxing match for its maximum number of rounds.


outbox

outbox (third-person singular simple present outboxes, present participle outboxing, simple past and past participle outboxed)

outboxes (present singular third-person)
outboxing (participle present)
outboxed (participle past)
outboxed (past)

(boxing, transitive) To box better than.


boxing ring

A space, usually square, with elastic ropes around the edge, in which a boxing match is fought.

ring de boxa

a space, in which a boxing match is fought


fibbing

And so did Nick, whom sometimes there would come on / A sort of fear his spouse might knock his head off, / Demolish half his teeth, or drive a rib in, / She shone so much in 'facers' and in 'fibbing.'

15th round. Chancery. Fibbing. Biggs makes dreadful work with his left. Break away. Rally. Biggs down. Betting still six to four on the gown-boy.

1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, “The Fight at Slaughter House”, in Men's Wives, page 17:

(archaic, boxing) Repeatedly striking an opponent's head while holding them in a headlock; a pummelling; a drubbing; a beating.


pugilism

en-noun

pugilism (countable and uncountable, plural pugilisms)

From Latin pugil (“fist”) + -ism, related to pugnus (“fist”), from Proto-Indo-European roots. Compare contemporary pugilist (“boxer”), 1790.


punching bag

/ˈpʌnt͡ʃɪŋ ˌbæɡ/

/ˈpʌnt͡ʃɪŋ ˌbæɡ/

A tough bag, usually cylindrical, filled with air, sand, or other material, often suspended so that it swings freely, which is punched or kicked when practising sports such as boxing or martial arts.

كيس ملاكمة

tough bag punched or kicked when practising sports such as boxing or martial arts


prizefighting

prizefighting (usually uncountable, plural prizefightings)

See prizefight. Originally Prize Playing, with play referring to sparring, a practice fight. By surface analysis, prize + fighting.

OF all the people gathered on Ninth Avenue Wednesday night to watch Marc Jacobs's spring 2003 runway show, I'm fairly sure I was the only one thinking about prizefighting.

2002 September 22, Ron Fried, “VIEW; Separated at Birth: Fashion and Prize Fights”, in The New York Times:

(sports) Professional boxing, in which two fighters compete for a prize.


prizefight

From prize + fight – the term prize originally referred to rank advancement, not a monetary prize.
Based on Renaissance English Prize Playing (16th century) within the Company of Maisters of the Science of Defence [sic] – public rank advancement fights within the organization, wherein the “prize” was rank advancement. The company later became defunct, while the term was revived in late 17th century for public shows of street fighters, which eventually developed into modern boxing.
In modern times, reinterpreted to mean “a fight for a (monetary) prize”.

“Regrettable though it may be, fighting is a basic human interest and previous attempts to outlaw professional boxers in other countries have failed to stamp out illegal prizefights,” the paper said in an editorial.

1976 July 4, Ian Stewart, “Boxer's Death Stirs In in Australia”, in The New York Times:

At its heart, the story is fairly familiar from prizefight fiction, one of betrayal - and self-betrayal - in which a once-promising athlete confronts his failure.

1988 August 27, Mel Gussow, “Review/Theater; A Fading Prizefighter Confronts His Facade”, in The New York Times:

A professional boxing match, in which two boxers compete for a prize (usually money).


finisher

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A thundering right to the head bent him back over the ropes, and then, just as I was setting myself for the finisher, I felt somebody jerking my pants leg […]

1934 June, Robert E. Howard, “General Ironfist”, in Jack Dempsey's Fight Magazine:

(boxing) The blow that ends a fight; the knock-out blow.


on the ropes

The champ had his opponent on the ropes at the end of the third round and knocked him out in the fourth.

(boxing, professional wrestling) Leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, as when exhausted and nearing defeat or collapse.

köysissä

leaning against the ropes of the boxing ring, as when exhausted and nearing defeat or collapse


counterpunch

en-verb

counterpunch (third-person singular simple present counterpunches, present participle counterpunching, simple past and past participle counterpunched)

counterpunches (present singular third-person)
counterpunching (participle present)
counterpunched (participle past)
counterpunched (past)
counter-punch (alternative)

(boxing) To deliver a punch designed to exploit an opponent's momentary defensive weakness caused by a punch thrown by the opponent.


IBA

International Boxing Association
w:International Boxing Association

Initialism of International Boxing Association (amateur)

The IBA had been stripped of recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over governance failures and therefore it was the IOC which ran – and set the entry criteria for – the Olympic boxing competitions in Paris.

Initialism of International Boxing Association (professional)


WBC

World Boxing Council
w:World Boxing Council

(boxing) Initialism of World Boxing Council, one of several sanctioning bodies in professional boxing.


centerline

centerlines (plural)
centreline (alternative)
centre line (alternative)

You might already know that, I don't know, but since you are training at home I didn't want you to be weaving wildly on each side of the rope - the goal is to pop up as tight as possible to the center line.

2005 July 31, Vovchanchyn Fan, “Re: Bob and weaving drill”, in Sherdog (Usenet):

take his lead leg out from under him. Just dont it when he is going for a power jab, just make sure your heads out of the center line

2006 January 3, Justin Pressley, “Re: having problems whilst sparring”, in Sherdog (Usenet):

(martial arts, boxing) An imaginary line connecting the center of two fighters' bodies while they face each other.


down for the count

A metaphorical reference to the sport of boxing, where a contestant loses a match if knocked down and unable to get up before a referee has counted to ten.

“But what puts me down for the count is the action of the fellow. Never showed up; just made her miss two performances.”

1912, Harold MacGrath, chapter 7, in The Place of Honeymoons:

But every time the music world thought it was down for the count, the orchestra has managed to rise again.

1991 November 4, Allan Kozinn, “Despite Odds, Many of Them, A Bedeviled Orchestra Persists”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

So, while Europe is still groggy and the U.S. is just starting to show signs of a pulse (and Japan of course is still down for the count), little Korea will grow anywhere from 3.2% to 6% this year.

2002 March 11, “Veni, Vidi, Gucci”, in Time, archived from the original on 2013-05-11:

(idiomatic) Decisively beaten; defeated; rendered irrelevant for the long term.


count out

count out (third-person singular simple present counts out, present participle counting out, simple past and past participle counted out)

counts out (present singular third-person)
counting out (participle present)
counted out (participle past)
counted out (past)

The champ was knocked unconscious and counted out in the third round.

en:determine that (a competitor) has lost a match

(transitive, boxing, wrestling, professional wrestling) To determine that a competitor has lost a match, by a referee's enumeration aloud of the increments of time for which the competitor has been incapacitated.


Queensberry rules

Queensberry + rule. Named after Scottish nobleman John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry

named-after

Queensberry Rules (alternative)
Queensbury Rules (alternative)
Queensbury rules (alternative)

(sports, boxing) A code of rules governing professional and amateur boxing, published in 1867 and endorsed by the ninth Marquess of Queensberry.


right cross

(boxing) A cross (hook thrown over the opponent's punch) made with the right hand


rope-a-dope

He sounded like a retired boxer who'd specialized in the rope-a-dope.

I went into my own version of Ali's rope-a-dope, ducking as many of the heavy blows as I could, and waiting for some kind of idea to come to me.

(boxing) A technique in which the boxer assumes a defensive stance against the ropes and absorbs an opponent's blows, hoping to exploit eventual tiredness or a mistake.


one-two punch

(boxing) A combination of two punches, one from each hand, thrown in rapid succession.


cruiserweight

(boxing, British, obsolete) light heavyweight

(boxing) A boxer weighing less than 200lb; heavier than a light heavyweight and lighter than a heavyweight.


nonheavyweight

De La Hoya’s 17 pay-per-view events — including 1.4 million for his loss to Felix Trinidad in 1999, the most ever for a nonheavyweight bout — have grossed $492 million.

2007 May 3, Richard Sandomir, “All About Money for De La Hoya and Mayweather”, in New York Times:

(boxing) In a weight class other than heavyweight


superwelterweight

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. had just defeated Oscar De La Hoya in their superwelterweight title bout in a split decision Saturday night when a controversy threatened to delay, if not upend, his victory.

2007 May 6, Richard Sandomir, “Mayweather Wins Decision Over De La Hoya”, in New York Times:

(boxing) Pertaining to a weight class between 67.7 and 69.9 kilograms, at the boundary between middleweight and welterweight


counterpuncher

(boxing) A boxer who commonly counterpunches.


superheavyweight

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(boxing) Of or pertaining to the weight class for boxers exceeding 91 kilograms in body weight.


cornerman

(boxing) A coach, trainer or other assistant who attends to a boxer between rounds.


Queer Street

In any event, the German slugger nailed down 21 of his 39 victories by putting his opponent on Queer Street via the knockout route.

1957 August 10, “Cronin's Corner”, in Los Angeles Times:

Frazier had him on Queer Street in the 11th round. ... He was glad he got off Queer Street.

1971 March 9, “In the Wake of the News”, in Chicago Tribune:


glass jaw

An allusion to glass being easily breakable.

"How was I to know that big ape had a glass jaw?"

1989, Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One, →ISBN, page 109:

Early in Ali's career, experts believed he had what's called a glass jaw—that he would fall after the first big punch. He was now proving that he could take a punch, but each punch chipped away at his health.

[2010, Stephen Timblin, Muhammad Ali: King of the Ring, Sterling, →ISBN, page 101:

(chiefly boxing) A fighting vulnerability where one is easily knocked out via a single hard blow to the chin or jaw (due to lack of conditioning, insufficient training, or damage from past cerebral concussions).


P.R.

[…] the biggest so-called boxer that ever sported buff in the P.R., in the person of Charles Freeman, weighing 18st., and standing 6ft. 10½in. in his stocking feet.

Henry Downes Miles, Pugilistica: The History of British Boxing (volume 3)

(boxing, archaic) Initialism of prize ring.


chinny

en-adj

chinny (comparative chinnier, superlative chinniest)

chinnier (comparative)
chinniest (superlative)


jab artist

(boxing) A boxer who fights with short jab-like punches.


punch above one's weight

en-verb

punch above one's weight (third-person singular simple present punches above one's weight, present participle punching above one's weight, simple past and past participle punched above one's weight)

punches above one's weight (present singular third-person)
punching above one's weight (participle present)
punched above one's weight (participle past)
punched above one's weight (past)
punch above one's weight class (alternative)
hit above one's weight (alternative)

An allusion to a boxer who punches more powerfully than other boxers in the same weight class.

Ireland's current commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, is such a high-profile and outspoken figure who punches above his weight in Brussels in the important role of internal market commissioner.

2008 December 11, David Charter, “Ireland takes a gamble on new Lisbon vote”, in The Times, London, retrieved 2009-12-23:

Having spent more than £500,000 on players last summer, Crawley can hardly be classed as minnows but they have still punched way above their weight and this kind of performance means no-one will relish pulling them out of the hat in Sunday's draw.

2011 January 29, Chris Bevan, “Torquay 0 – 1 Crawley Town”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 2016-01-14:

2017 Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas
I can see why you love her so much. You're definitely punching above your weight.

(idiomatic) To (attempt to) achieve or perform at a higher level than would be expected based on one's preparation, attributes, rank, or past accomplishments.


shadow boxing

(boxing) The action of practicing moves where the opponent is the boxer's own shadow.

σκιαμαχία

practicing boxing moves against one's shadow


pull punches

pull punches (third-person singular simple present pulls punches, present participle pulling punches, simple past and past participle pulled punches)

pulls punches (present singular third-person)
pulling punches (participle present)
pulled punches (participle past)
pulled punches (past)
pull one's punches (alternative)

Originally from boxing. First use appears c. the 1920s.

Traditionally on Okinawa (if 'traditionally' is the right word to use), protectors had been worn during sparring practise because the trainees believed that, to be effective, one should not train to pull punches.

2017, Mark D Bishop, Zen Odyssey, An Okinawan Karate & Martial Arts Journey, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 228:

(originally boxing) To avoid using a high level of force when punching.

olla lyömättä kovaa

to avoid using all one's strength when punching


champeen

"He could whip a dozen Cyclone Dicks in the same evening with his eyes shut."
"He's the next champeen," admitted the first speaker.

1912, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 19, in The Prince and Betty:

"You're right, me lad, I was the best fightin' man, the greatest champeen as ever was."

1917, Jeffrey Farnol, chapter 24, in The Definite Object:

"I'd take a li'l' bet that New York ain't lookin' for no champeen ropers or bronco-busters," said Stace.

1920, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 1, in The Big-Town Round-Up:

In this corner, the operatic heavyweight from Modena, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti! And in this corner, that Iberian emoter, champeen tenor Placido Domingo!

1991 August 12, “Entertainment: Will Tyson Do The Encores?”, in Time:

So, there he goes, riding off into the golden sunset of history. Lance Armstrong, champeen of the cycling world.

2005 July 24, Paul Oerjuerge, “Armstrong untouchable to the end”, in The Sun, San Bernardino, USA, retrieved 2010-10-18:


ringcraft

Episode 12, The Cyclops
Handicapped as he was by lack of poundage, Dublin's pet lamb made up for it by superlative skill in ringcraft.

They said that Hatton lacked authority in his jab and his ringcraft but they never cast a shadow over his fighting heart.

2007, The Independent, James Lawton: Hatton is open about his failings as the door...:

2010, Gareth A Davies, The Telegraph online version (blog); December 14 2010 Amir Khan v Marcos Maidana: Fight of the year ?
Khan moved to 24-1 with this victory – Maidana to 29-2 – and showed the edge in speed and ringcraft. But Maidana, a wall of stone with a granite chin, barely took a backward step.

(boxing) Tactical skill and positioning in the boxing ring.


minimumweight

The Japanese boxer Yutaka Niida stopped the challenger José Varela of Venezuela in the sixth round on in Tokyo to defend his W.B.A. minimumweight title.

2008 March 2, The Associated Press, “Niida Wins in Title Defense”, in New York Times:

(boxing) The lowest weight class in professional boxing, where boxers may weigh no more than 105 pounds (48 kg).

szalmasúly

the lowest weight class in professional boxing


strawweight

en-noun

strawweight (countable and uncountable, plural strawweights)


meat safe

meat safes (plural)
meatsafe (alternative)

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“[…] but Bob ’e jumps inside an’ ’e lets ’im ’ave it plumb square on the meat safe as ’ard as ever the Lord would let ’im put it in.”

1896, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 10, in Rodney Stone,, London: Smith, Elder, page 172:

[…] with him carryin’ his guard high, and leavin’ the way to his meat safe open half the time, it was all I could do to hold myself back.

1908, Sewell Ford, chapter 14, in Side-Stepping with Shorty, New York: Mitchell Kennerley, page 221:


LBF

(boxing) Initialism of Luxembourg Boxing Federation.


save by the bell

en-verb

save by the bell (third-person singular simple present saves by the bell, present participle saving by the bell, simple past and past participle saved by the bell)

saves by the bell (present singular third-person)
saving by the bell (participle present)
saved by the bell (participle past)
saved by the bell (past)

With 35 seconds left in the fight, the Siberian Rocky landed a lethal right hook that staggered Bradley and forced him to take a knee following a few more hard blows, thus saving Bradley by the bell.

2013 December 30, “Behind The Gloves 2013 Picks!”, in behindthegloves.com, retrieved 2014-01-22:

(transitive, boxing, wrestling) In a boxing or wrestling match or similar competition, to ring the bell which concludes the round and thereby to prevent a competitor who has been knocked down from being counted out by the referee.


saved by the bell

Forrest floored Mosley again at the end of the round and almost finished him, but Mosley was saved by the bell.

2002 July 19, Damon Hack, “Boxing: Despite Not Having the Title, Mosley Garners Attention”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-01-06:

(boxing, wrestling, of a competitor) In a boxing or wrestling match or similar competition, spared from being counted out by the referee by the ringing of the bell which concludes the round.


kidney punch

kidney punches (plural)
kidney-punch (alternative)

Following the bout, Schmeling said he was fouled. He said that he was hit a kidney punch, a devastating right, which so shocked his nervous system that he was dazed and his vision was blurred

1938 June 22, James P. Dawson, “Fight, Might and Whata Right!”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-01-06:

These fees have ballooned. . . . That has hit advertising like a kidney punch.

1991 September 22, “What Happened To Advertising”, in Businessweek, retrieved 2014-01-06:

When the champion landed a vicious left-handed kidney punch early in the fourth, Azzaoui crumpled to the canvas.

2007 November 4, “Awesome Calzaghe sets sights on Hopkins superfight”, in London Evening Standard, UK, retrieved 2014-01-06:

A blow struck with the fist to the lower back region, capable of causing serious internal injury and not permitted under the rules of boxing.


body blow

body blows (plural)
body-blow (alternative)

He led at Berks's head, as he came rushing in, and missed him, receiving a severe body blow in return.

1896, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 11, in Rodney Stone:

A severely injurious or damaging physical strike or impact.

(boxing) A hard punch struck to the torso.


speed bag

speed bags (plural)
speedbag (alternative)
speed-bag (alternative)

(boxing) A small air-filled punching bag anchored at the top to a rebound platform parallel to the ground.


infight

infight (third-person singular simple present infights, present participle infighting, simple past and past participle infought)

infights (present singular third-person)
infighting (participle present)
infought (participle past)
infought (past)

Apparently a back-formation from infighting, perhaps continuing Middle English infighten (“to attack”), from Old English infiht, infeoht (“an attack made upon a person by another in the same house or between members of a household”), equivalent to in- + fight.

Be prepared to slip and duck his jab to infight or to counter with a quick punch to the head or body.

2004, Mark Hatmaker, Doug Werner, Boxing Mastery: Advanced Technique, Tactics, and Strategies from the Sweet Science, →ISBN, page 213:

Even if you're giving up reach in order to infight, standing at the end of your opponent's punch (impact position) isn't the way to do it.

2007, Alan Lachica, Doug Werner, Boxing's Ten Commandments, →ISBN, page 29:

Walker tried hard to close with his opponent, and infight, but by using both hands to good advantage Fus. Scott held his own.

2003, Peter B. Kyne, Captain Scraggs; Or, the Green-Pea Pirates, →ISBN, page 252:

"In a minute," said the commodore faintly. "He's so good I hate to hurt him. But I'll infight him to a finish."

1929, St. George's Gazette - Volume 47, page 247:

(boxing) To box while extremely close to an opponent


bareknuckling

Though disproved by the existence of the modern workplace, sharehousing, lesbian relationships, friendships or, you know, the family, it remains the bedrock not only of Goodrem-J and Carey-Minaj bareknuckling, but any examples of the Real Housewives franchise, any variation on The Hills, the very point of Next Top Model and at its most distilled hysteria within The Bachelor series.

2015 July 16, Van Badham, “Delta Goodrem v. Jessie J: A catfight as contrived as the idea that women can't get along”, in The Guardian:


down but not out

A reference to the sport of boxing, where a boxer has been incapacitated by an opponent but not yet knocked out.

He raised dim eyes to her, eyes that seemed already filmed with death's opaque curtains, but bravely, slowly smiled. "I'm down, but not out, darlin'. That brute of a doctor jolted me hard; I nearly took the count—but I'm—still in the ring.[…]"

1907 October, [Hannibal] Hamlin Garland, “Marshall Haney’s Sentence”, in Money Magic: A Novel, New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 333:

The intention is not to make it a hotel for downs and outs, the riffraff of Chicago’s slums, but to have it a hotel where men who are ‘down’ but not ‘out’ can obtain comfortable rooms and wholesome food at nominal prices.

1913, The Independent, volume LXXV, New York, N.Y.: Published for the proprietors, →OCLC, page 638, column 1:

By midnight, two hours after the polls had closed, the first results showed a massive 10 per cent swing right across the country. […] A defeated David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, left the count down but not out.

2010, Peter Snowdon, “The Makings of a Landslide”, in Back from the Brink: The Inside Story of the Tory Resurrection, London: HarperPress, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 5:

(idiomatic) Temporarily incapacitated but not permanently defeated.

挫而不折

temporarily incapacitated but not permanently defeated


lead with one's chin

lead with one's chin (third-person singular simple present leads with one's chin, present participle leading with one's chin, simple past and past participle led with one's chin)

leads with one's chin (present singular third-person)
leading with one's chin (participle present)
led with one's chin (participle past)
led with one's chin (past)

(boxing) To leave one's chin unprotected.


take the count

take the count (third-person singular simple present takes the count, present participle taking the count, simple past took the count, past participle taken the count)

takes the count (present singular third-person)
taking the count (participle present)
took the count (past)
taken the count (participle past)

Apparently ignorant of the rules of the ring which permit a fighter knocked to the floor to take the count of nine, he staggered to his feet, only to be met with another blow before he could collect his senses sufficiently to 'cover?'

1916 December 19, Chris Cozzone, Jim Boggio, quoting Rocky Mountain News, Fighter is Killed at National Club by Blow on Head, 2013, quoted in Boxing in New Mexico, 1868-1940, →ISBN, page 184:

But if a boxer is knocked down, he can always take an 'eight' count and not get up after two or three seconds. Those extra five or six seconds give you a chance to clear your head. To try to gather your reflexes, come to yourself. A friend of mine, Ruby Kessler in Ebbets Field, we fought in the same show that night. And Pete Scanlon dropped 'im. And Ruby jumped right up, and he was shakin' and they were hollerin' from the corner, 'Get down, get down, take the count, take the count.'

2011, Allen Bodner, quoting Herbie Kronowitz, When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport, SUNY Press, →ISBN, page 143:

(boxing) To take to opportunity to rest briefly after being knocked down but before being counted out by the referee.


superfight

Ken Shamrock (right) is the current owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship superfight belt and will defend his title February 16 against Kimo Leopoldo.

1996 March, John P. Patton, “Royce Gracie's Biggest Rival: Ken Shamrock”, in Black Belt, volume 34, number 3, page 38:

Ali would go into that superfight symbolizing everything valuable and heroic, but I'm afraid he's getting the chance too late, after too many years of idleness.

1971, Jack Newfield, Bread and Roses Too, →ISBN, page 98:

Reid outpointed Australian Kevin Kelly and former WBC champ Keith Mullings in defenses and then met Felix Trinidad in a superfight on March 3, 2000, in Las Vegas.

2002, Nat Fleischer, Sam Andre, An Illustrated History of Boxing, →ISBN, page 441:

(boxing) A bout between two championship title holders.


handy-fight

Pollux loves handy-fights.


lay a glove on

lay a glove on (third-person singular simple present lays a glove on, present participle laying a glove on, simple past and past participle laid a glove on)

lays a glove on (present singular third-person)
laying a glove on (participle present)
laid a glove on (participle past)
laid a glove on (past)

From the sport of boxing, referring to managing to hit someone with one's boxing glove.

“You were so good he couldn't lay a glove on you. You were terrific. He tired to hit you with his knockout punch but you skillfully avoided it - do you remember how his glove whistled harmlessly past your head?

2004, Morris Katz, The Journey, →ISBN, page 78:

In round three, Toxa moved in and out jabbing, scoring often with the bigger man unable to lay a glove on him.

2012, Roland Perry, The Changi Brownlow, →ISBN:

Umbertino couldn't lay a glove on him. Big as he was, all it would have taken was a punch, a single roundhouse and he would have decked him. But the other guy was a grasshopper.

2014, Davide Enia, On Earth as It Is in Heaven: A Novel, →ISBN, page 42:


tuck up

tuck up (third-person singular simple present tucks up, present participle tucking up, simple past and past participle tucked up)

tucks up (present singular third-person)
tucking up (participle present)
tucked up (participle past)
tucked up (past)

(intransitive, boxing) To protect one's face by covering it with the gloves


boxerly

en-adj

boxerly (comparative more boxerly, superlative most boxerly)

more boxerly (comparative)
most boxerly (superlative)

Lenny boasts that he's been sutured in most capitals of Europe and had his fractured jaw wired in Atlantic City. He balls his massive hands into fists and strikes his boxerly pose, carries his left so low I'm sure that even I could catch him flush.

2010, T. R. Pearson, Glad News of the Natural World:

The other men at work, nine or ten of them, were pursuing more boxerly activities. Skipping rope, punching bags, shadowboxing, breathing through the nose.


four-belt

(boxing) Relating to the four forms of professional heavyweight boxing - WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA


Murderers' Row

(boxing, historical) A group of middleweight boxers in the 1940s.


Queensbury

(attributive, sports, boxing, figurative) Alternative spelling of Queensberry


throw hands

en-verb

throw hands (third-person singular simple present throws hands, present participle throwing hands, simple past threw hands, past participle thrown hands)

throws hands (present singular third-person)
throwing hands (participle present)
threw hands (past)
thrown hands (participle past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-throw hands.wav


bare-knuckle

The bare-knuckle boxing era ended in the early 20th century, when gloves were introduced, stricter rules implemented and oversight organizations formed.

2009, David Lindholm, Ulf Karlsson, Bare-Knuckle Boxer's Companion, →ISBN:

In bare-knuckle fights, one of the most frequent injuries is a broken hand.

2012, Ken Shamrock, Richard Hanner, Inside the Lion's Den, →ISBN:

He was known as a tough bare-knuckle boxer and had already consolidated a reputation from his teenage years, when he had first thrown his fists in anger.

2013, Eamon Dillon, Gypsy Empire, →ISBN, page 126:

The difference between a street fight and a bare-knuckle boxing match is an accepted set of rules, such as not striking a downed opponent.

2015, Patrick White, The Legends of Bare-knuckle Boxing: The History & the Champions, →ISBN:


bare-knuckling

In fact, the ring's transition from bare-knuckling to boxing was, in practical effect, only a slight move forward.

1979, Don Atyeo, Blood & guts, violence in sports, page 168:

Boxing that is done without boxing gloves.


nose-ender

Sayers won first blood by cutting Crouch's right eye, and the battle by knocking his man out with a nose-ender in 12 minutes 28 seconds, 6 rounds being fought.

1879, Ed James, The Lives and Battles of the Champions of England, page 39:

(boxing, slang, dated) A straight blow delivered full on the nasal promontory.


fight IQ

More importantly, the unbeaten New York native showed an uncanny ability to adjust his gameplan on the fly and stun unsuspecting opponents. It’s a product not only of Evans’ growing experience and his work with Greg Jackson, but of a fighting IQ that is becoming second to none.

2008 December 28, Thomas Gerbasi, “The Highly Unofficial 2008 UFC Awards - The Fighters”, in UFC:

George St. Pierre is also a very good example. He utilizes his fight IQ to negate his opponent's advantages and impose his will. He prevented Matt Hughes from taking him down, took Matt Serra down right away, and clinched BJ Penn till his arms were too tired to be effective.

2009 June 17, Jay Bandu, “What It Takes to Be a Real Fighter Pt 3: Mental Aptitude”, in Bleacher Report:

Jackson expressed surprise at the levels reached by some of the vitriolic personal attacks he received, discussed Rashad Evans' physical capabilities as he enters his thirties, contrasted the wrestling styles of Evans and Jon Jones, discussed how he and his camp manage Jones' training as he grows in size and tried to make sense of why Jones' fight IQ is underrated.

2012 April 19, Luke Thomas, “Greg Jackson Contends Jon Jones Has Underrated Fight IQ”, in MMA Fighting:

A combat sports athlete's ability to adjust their movements during a bout in order to exploit momentary defensive openings or overall technical weaknesses found in an opponent's moveset.


glass chin

(boxing, figurative) Synonym of glass jaw.


cross-counter

(boxing) A counterattack begun immediately after an opponent throws a jab, exploiting the opening in the opponent's position.


cross-counter

cross-counter (third-person singular simple present cross-counters, present participle cross-countering, simple past and past participle cross-countered)

cross-counters (present singular third-person)
cross-countering (participle present)
cross-countered (participle past)
cross-countered (past)

(boxing, ambitransitive) To employ a counterattack of this kind on (someone).


knockout merchant

en-noun

knockout merchant (plural knockout merchants)

My second fight against the big dosser Deontay Wilder, the biggest knockout merchant in boxing history.

2020, Tyson Fury, The Furious Method: The Sunday Times bestselling guide to a healthier body & mind:

(boxing) A boxer who specializes in inflicting knockouts.


Marquis of Queensberry rules

marquis + Queensberry + rule. Named after Scottish nobleman John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry

Marquis of Queensberry Rules (alternative)
Marquess of Queensberry Rules (alternative)
Marquess of Queensberry rules (alternative)

Queensberry rules
Queensberry rules#English

(sports, boxing) Synonym of Queensberry rules.


standing eight

(boxing) An eight-second count called by the referee during a match, to determine whether one of the boxers is fit to continue.


outfighter

The longer, more bladed stance is a more mobile in-and-out platform. Any traditional outfighter in boxing that you study will use a long, bladed stance like a fencer at least while they are working on the outside.

2018 September 27, Jack Slack, “Koreshkov Vs. Lima III is the Sleeper Fight of the Weekend”, in VICE, archived from the original on 2023-09-09:

(boxing) A boxer who tends to keep a relatively large distance from their opponent.


walk down

en-verb

walk down (third-person singular simple present walks down, present participle walking down, simple past and past participle walked down)

walks down (present singular third-person)
walking down (participle present)
walked down (participle past)
walked down (past)

He's relentlessly walking him down.

(boxing, transitive) To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's punches.


left, right, goodnight

en-noun

left, right, goodnight (plural left, right, goodnights)

As he wasn't yet on the floor, Jamie finished him off with a brutal 'left, right, goodnight' to the jaw, which knocked the boy out cold.

2020 June 20, Logan Beadnell-Davies, The Black Age - Book 1, Logan Beadnell-Davies:

It was the left hook a few seconds later that really did for me. At that point I really should have gone into full-on defensive mode and tried to kill the seconds and ride out the round but instead, and this is where inexperience comes in, I tried to counter-attack. I was in no state to do so. A classic left, right, goodnight and it was all over.

2023 September 14, Amir Khan, Fight For Your Life: The must-read, astonishingly revealing memoir with life lessons from the UK’s favourite boxer, Random House, →ISBN:

The snickers at him announcing himself as 'Dick' were soon put to a halt when he whipped those guns out, giving you a good 'left, right, goodnight' if you didn't hand over those gunky pearl earrings that had never seen an anti-bac wipe.

2024 November 7, Katie Kennedy, The History Gossip: Was Anne of Cleves a Minger? and 365 Other Historical Curiosities, Michael O'Mara Books, →ISBN:

(Commonwealth) A series of three hits (typically punches): one with the left hand, then one with the right hand, then one which knocks the recipient out.


superweight

(uncountable, boxing) An amateur boxing weight class in some divisions for boxers weighing more than 201 pounds; a boxer in that division.


ring girl

(boxing, martial arts) An attractive young woman hired to enter the ring between rounds, carrying a sign displaying the number of the next round.


in someone's corner

(boxing) Acting as a second (a member of the fighter's corner team).


left hook

I hit Stephens with a left hook followed by a looping right hand and a pulverizing left hook that caught him right on the button.

2000, Ken Norton, Marshall Terrill, Mike Fitzgerald, Joe Frazier (contributor), Going the Distance, page 160:

(boxing) A powerful punch thrown with the left hand, typically after a jab or a straight punch.