Rounds (15 or 12?) - Scoring (Adjust or Fine As Is?)

It's been stated when they ask boxing experts on how to make the sport safer and the common reply is "take off the gloves". Also, the change from fifteen to twelves rounds has been near the top of boxing conversation and controversy. Medically they claim most brain damage occurs after the twelfth round. For boxing fans most of the greatest fights of all time were fifteen rounds. One key factor why fights got exciting very late were is that fighters were so drained at that point it truly becomes like a fiction movie ("Rocky") where fighters are so tired they can't keep their hands up defensively and throw wild swinging shots.
Some key historical bouts:
Leonard vs Hearns - Leonard was behind on all three judges scorecards (Lou Tabat 122-125 | Chuck Minker 121-125 | Duane Ford 122-124). Leonard scored an impressive 14th round TKO.
Joe Louis vs Billy Conn - Leading on all three scorecards, Conn was KOd in the 13th round.
Some recent 12 round fights may have been different:
Bernard Hopkins vs Jermain Taylor I (& II) - In the first fight it was clear Taylor exerted most of his energy and it took everything for him to finish up strong. Also, Hopkins is clearly known for his late starts in bouts.
Pacqiuao vs Marquez II (& I) - The 2nd fight Manny was exhausted and made the statement he's not fighting Marquez again. The 1st bout was declared a draw. Manny had a huge lead and Marquez closed the distance winning most the later rounds. In the 1st round Manny knocked Marquez down 3 times causing two judges scoring it 10-6 with one judge scoring it 10-7. The judge scoring it 10-7 stated he made a mistake.
- Hypothetically if a fighter gets knockdown 4 times in a round but appears able to continue, should the score automatically be 10-5? Now the fighter needs to win five 10-9 rounds to equal one bad round. This seems more amateur style then what they claim professional scoring is based on round dominance. What if the fighter who lost the first round started dominating each round with the appearance he will stop his hurt and fatigued opponent  within a few more rounds. Before the end of the 5th round you have an accidental headbutt and the ringside doctor stops the bout before the 6th round. Going to the scorecards the dominant fighter throughout 80% of the fight can't win. Did a few flash knockdowns and maybe a few legit worth a fighter winning in that scenario? Isn't that why we have KOs (TKOs). If a fighter can win a decision mostly based on one great round, he should at least dominate other rounds or show a decisive win by KO (TKO).

I always thought they should go back to 15, there is nothing worse than a fighter just trying to hold for the last rounds with a big lead and not fighting to win (De La Hoya vs Trinadad), if the fight is one-sided with no chance of winning for one fighter, just stop the fight.

Marciano would have lost to Walcott if not for 15 rounds, Ali scored alot of KO's because of the championship rounds and even pulled out some decisions. Mayweather might have gotten beat by Castillo in their first fight and no one would have been able to say Richard Steele stopped the Meldrick Taylor vs Chavez fight too early.

15 rounds would be better for the sport overall, but the refs, doctors and cornerman would have to protect fighters from taking unnecessary shots in a fight they aren't in.

mayweather did get beaten in his first fight vs castillo, fuck the judges, I have this fight on tape, after the fight mayweathers people picked him up on their shoulders, mayweather looked into the sky and said you gave me that one, watch hbo's version of the fight and look for this, he knew he didn't win, I know he didn't win, anyone with a set of eyes should be able to see that, he was running during the middle to late rounds not boxing, he blamed it on a hurt left shoulder, even though he was using it more than he was using his right, a bullshit excuse.  he boxed beautifully in the rematch, castillo came in to that fight with a hurt foot, but made no complaints afterwards, mayweather is the best in the world, but he did not win that one.      back to the topic at hand, I deffinitly think we should go back to the 15 round distance,  but you can't talk about fights from the past and say things would of been different if it was a 15 round fight or it would be different if it was a 12 rounder, because the whole pace of each fight would be different, example, if leonard vs hearns was  scheduled for 12 instead of 15, than leonard would of picked up the pace a lot earlier, it changes the whole dynamic of the fight.  hell if it was up to me I would go back to the 1920's and have 20 round title fights, that truly lets you know if your a man or not,  I  spar 20 rounds on the 3rd sunday of every month with different sparring partners coming in every 3 or 4 rounds, it's a tradition that I started a couple of years ago, It's a true test of human stamina.

when I mentioned 20 round title fights, I meant to say pre- 1920's

I understand fight plans would have changed but so many fights we didn't see that closely would have changed and that's the point. It becomes an almost new sport. Get a guy like Paul Williams in his prime and it's your worst nightmare. You better knock him out or he will punch you non-stop 15 rounds. If your lucky and can't KO him, hope he catches you clean before absorbing a long night of punishment.

I ment Mayweather would have gotten KO'd against Castillo, he was almost out of gas. Good to see someone beside myself thinks he lost, I thought he won the first 4 rounds, then maybe 1 more thats it and the judge gave him 8 to 4 I believe, what a joke.

I also mentioned that floyd mayweather is the best fighter in the world, I have thinking about that lately, but I would actually rate NONITO DONAIRE as the best fighter in the world and I know that seems disrepectful to mayweather and pacquiao, because they have accomplished so much more,  but pound for pound is not like ranking fighters for a title shot (though you obviously have to take their accomplishments  into consideration) It really is more about who you actually think is the best fighter in the world, to me that is donaire, mayweather is not what he was a couple of years ago, pacquiao is looking great( mayweather will beat manny if they fight)  but to me if donaire was the same size as these 2 great fighters, right now if they fought, he would beat them both, this kid just might be the best counter puncher  that I have ever seen, he has very good speed, power, defence, intelligence, his chin is solid, his balance is top notch,  P4P NO. 1 = DONAIRE even though it seems disrespectful to say so

On the thread regarding "Tuesady Night Fights", NJDevils had a nice recall on the Grove vs Paez matches. Also, it was a classic because it's calimed to be the last of the 15 round title fight in history (although speculation that one other occurred and I think it was flyweight division, and possibly others claims to fights, not that it matters). It's noted by most places as the last 15 round title fight in boxing. I started this thread and funny his post on another thread fits the subject with an ending of the last title match of the 15 rounders. In the fight, Grove was knocked down 3 times in the 15th (and it goes down as the last championship round of the 15 round era) round. The final scorecard was: Jim Traylor 142-142 | Dave McCullough 140-143 | Robert Gonzalez 140-142. If the fight was a days later and gone the same way, Grove keeps his title. Had those 3 knockdowns not occurred in the last 15th round bout ever, Grove maintains the IBF featherweight title. Interesting post by NJDevils so although I posted almost the same comment, I felt that the thread about 15 rounders deserves a nice peice of boxing history. Thanks again to NJDevils!

They do it for the safety of the fighters. Those old 15 rounders were classics though. You used to get some brutal KOs  because guys were completely spent by round 14 n 15

I liked the 15 rounders but there is no way they ever go back to them

Just watched the S Sanchez/ANelson fight on youtube. It was only Nelson's 14th pro fight, brutal fight Sanchez stopped Nelson in the 15th, but the thing that was amazing in the fight was Nelson went to the wrong corner 4-5 times, still fought hard, but didn't have any legs in the last 3-4 rounds At no time until the 15th the ref thought of not stopping the fight.