At a recent local Pro/Am show I had the opportunity to shadow an MMA/Pro boxing timekeeper after the amateur portion of the bouts were over. It was great to have a ringside seat for the rest of the evening’s action, but I was surprised at the number of differences between amateur boxing, MMA, and pro boxing rules. For instance, amateurs get three minutes to recover after a low blow; pro and MMA fighters get five minutes (I was told this is because they wear less protective gear). I won’t go into all the differences, but decided that night that even though the pro/MMA officials get paid for their work—as opposed to amateur officials who are all volunteers—I’ll stick with the amateurs. For me it’s like trying to learn French, German, and Italian all at the same time. It’s enough for me just to try to be the best amateur timekeeper I can be.
Let me know if you’ve had experience as a timekeeper, or just your opinions on the subject. Do you know of other differences?