Amelia Moore is advocating for a three-minute round in women’s boxing, which she believes will lead to better fights and more interest.
Moore will face Victoria Mason on Saturday at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, in a six-round lightweight bout. It will not be scheduled for three-minute rounds, but rather the two-minute rounds that are traditional in women’s bouts.
Moore, 2-0 (1 KO), is steadfast in her belief that a move to longer women’s rounds will help distinguish the best of the best, with more time spent in the ring.
“A two-minute to one-minute recovery time, compared to three minutes to one minute of rest, you are pulling athletes into deeper waters, where the training really matters,” said Moore, 35. “To be able to express true skill, you need to have the three minutes.”
Moore, who trains with Alex Love in Colorado Springs, Colorado, hopes to follow in the footsteps of recent fighters such as Amanda Serrano and Tamm Thibeault, who have fought in bouts with three-minute rounds. Moore questions why amateur boxing, which sees women compete for the same duration as men, is leading the way.
“Why is amateur boxing setting the example? In the amateurs, men and women are fighting three-minute rounds,” Moore said. “We are seeing great success and development from that.”
Moore will face Mason, 1-0 (1 KO), of Shreveport, Louisiana, who last fought in 2018. Since her pro debut, Mason has gone on to have a 17-fight pro career in MMA, with five of her fights taking place in the UFC.
Moore spoke with this reporter en route to a strength and conditioning workout after a boxing training session. She believes that women being prevented from fighting three-minute rounds cripples the performances fighters might otherwise be capable of.
“It is holding our hands and tying our hands behind our backs,” Moore said. “We are supposed to break people’s minds and bend their perception. That is the essence of sport, to do the impossible. … Unless there is founded science, the only barrier we create is with our own minds.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
