Bob Arum and Mikaela Mayer call for women's boxing rounds to be extended to three-minutes
Is it time to extend the duration of rounds in women's boxing?
Photo Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images
WBO super-featherweight world champion Mikaela Mayer and longtime IBF world champion Maiva Hamadouche met in the final press conference ahead of this Friday's unification title fight in Las Vegas and an interesting question was raised.
This will be the first time a female world title bout has headlined a Top Rank on ESPN card since the most recent incarnation of the series debuted in July 2017 and an important point was discussed that has since sparked a much-needed debate on social media – Why are women's boxing rounds limited to just two-minutes?
Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), ranked No. 5 on ESPN.com's pound-for-pound list, is making the second defense of the title she won in October 2020 against hard-hitting Hamadouche (22-1, 18 KOs), from France, who has defended her title six times and is unbeaten since a 2015 decision loss to Belgian star Delfine Persoon.
Both Mayer and her promoter Arum questioned the need to extend female boxing rounds to a duration of three-minutes, like men's boxing has always been.
Here's what they both said at Wednesday's press conference, along with other prominent boxing figures thoughts on the important subject:
Bob Arum
Top Rank Promoter
“This is terrific for women's boxing. It’s great that the best women in any weight class are facing each other.
“If we want to bring women’s boxing to the forefront of the sport, we all should advocate for three-minute rounds. If women's boxing wants to get into a prominent position that it hasn’t, but it should, in my opinion, it should be changed to three-minute rounds. Why is there a difference in rounds between women's and men’s boxing?
“We have to look at other sports. The one that comes to mind immediately is the one where women's participation is the same as men's. In professional tennis, women play a game and it’s the same point-scoring as men. By keeping it at two-minute rounds, you are telling the world that women’s boxing is different. If we are worried about health issues, do three-minutes rounds and regulate the number of rounds that women can fight.”
Mikaela Mayer
WBO super-featherweight world champion
“Talking from experience, that extra minute could change a fight. You could have more knockouts and more finishes.”
Linzi Buczynski
Unbeaten super-featherweight prospect
“I definitely think they should be extended, just makes no sense to me why you would finish the amateur at 3 x 3 minute rounds to then go back to 2 minutes?!
“To me, I think going into pro boxing it should be more about taking your time picking shots, but instead, with the 2 minutes, I feel it's more rushed as it goes by so fast, and by the time you've got into the round it's nearly over.
“Also, women are just as capable of doing 3 minute rounds, as we prove in the amateurs, so should be no reason why it's any different to the male athletes, it's professional boxing and both should be the same whether male or female.That's my opinion on it.”
Beccy Ferguson
Super-lightweight boxer
"That’s an interesting one and there are pros and cons on both sides, to be honest. It’s a tough one, but I’m for it though, if I had to choose."
Tim Rickson
BBN Editor
“Watching women's fights, those rounds do just fly by, so I'm sure they have got plenty more to give and could easily do the three-minutes. I, myself, have boxed two-minute rounds in the amateurs and I know exactly how demanding it is, but I also know they can definitely do more, and I'm sure every female fighter will agree. They will sparring three or four-minute rounds in training already.
I think the rate of ascent we've seen with women's boxing over the past few years, extending the duration and number of rounds will be the next natural step to take in progression.”
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