If both boxers are knocked out at the same time and neither can get up before the count of ten, the fight is ruled a technical draw. This scenario is extremely rare in professional boxing, but the rules account for it clearly. The referee counts both fighters simultaneously, and if neither makes it to their feet, the bout is over with no winner.
How the Referee Handles a Double Knockdown
When both fighters hit the canvas at the same time, the referee doesn’t stop counting just because both are down. The official protocol from the Association of Boxing Commissions states that counting continues as long as at least one boxer is still down. If one fighter gets up before ten while the other stays down, the standing fighter wins by knockout, just like any normal knockdown scenario.
The interesting part is what happens when neither fighter recovers. If both boxers remain on the canvas through the full ten count, the referee stops the bout and declares it a technical draw. Neither fighter gets a win or a loss on their record. This is the same outcome regardless of who was ahead on the scorecards at the time.
Why It Almost Never Happens
A true double knockout requires both fighters to land fight-ending punches within a fraction of a second of each other, and for both to be so badly hurt that neither can stand within ten seconds. That’s an extraordinarily specific set of circumstances. In over a century of professional boxing, confirmed cases can be counted on one hand.
One of the most well-documented examples dates to 1912, when lightweights Joe Rivers and Ad Wolgast simultaneously dropped each other. Neither could beat the ten count. More recent instances tend to involve one fighter getting up slightly before the other, turning what could have been a double knockout into a dramatic single knockout instead. The scenario is a staple of boxing movies, but in reality, the timing required makes it almost impossibly rare.
What Actually Happens to the Brain
A knockout occurs when a punch delivers enough rotational force to the head that it disrupts the brain’s ability to maintain consciousness. The leading theory, published in Frontiers in Neurology, points to a process called mechanoporation: the force of impact physically stretches the membranes of brain cells, creating tiny pores that disrupt normal electrical signaling. When this happens in the brainstem regions responsible for keeping you awake and alert, consciousness shuts off almost instantly.
The result is a complete loss of muscle tone. The fighter’s body goes limp and they collapse. This is why knockouts look so dramatic compared to, say, someone fainting. The brain’s motor control system essentially goes offline all at once.
The good news, neurologically speaking, is that these membrane pores appear to reseal on their own within minutes. That’s consistent with what we see in the ring: most knocked-out fighters regain consciousness relatively quickly, often within seconds of hitting the canvas. But “quick recovery” doesn’t mean “no damage.” The forces involved are significant enough that boxing commissions impose strict medical suspensions afterward.
Medical Suspensions After a Knockout
Any boxer who suffers a knockout is automatically suspended for a minimum of 60 days under World Boxing Association guidelines. During that period, they cannot fight or even spar. The boxer must surrender their license card to the athletic commission until the suspension is lifted.
The penalties escalate with repeated knockouts. If a boxer gets knocked out in their next fight after returning, or suffers a second knockout within three months of the first, the suspension jumps to six months. This scaling system exists because the brain becomes more vulnerable to damage when it hasn’t fully healed from a previous injury.
In a double knockout scenario, both fighters would face these same mandatory suspensions. Athletic commissions also have discretion to require additional testing before clearing a fighter to return. The California State Athletic Commission, for example, considers the number of knockouts a fighter has suffered in the previous 12 months when deciding whether to order brain imaging or other neurological evaluations. Fighters with a history of knockouts or loss of consciousness may need MRI scans or other assessments before they’re allowed back in the ring.
How Scoring Works if Only One Gets Up
The more common version of this scenario is a simultaneous knockdown where both fighters go down but one manages to beat the count. In that case, the fighter who gets to their feet wins by knockout. It doesn’t matter if they were losing on the scorecards by a wide margin. A knockdown is a knockdown, and if your opponent can’t get up, you win.
If both fighters get up before ten, the fight simply continues. The referee checks that both are fit to box, and the round proceeds. Both knockdowns would be scored on the judges’ cards, but since each fighter scored a knockdown, the round’s outcome depends on who the judges felt controlled the rest of the action. In practice, a round with a double knockdown where both fighters recover often ends up scored close to even.