A Boxing Lexicon ::: The Letter F

"Failed to come up to scratch" : from the bare-knuckle days; fight ends (by KO0 when a fighter, after being knocked down, is unable to stand at the center of the pitch prepared to fight; the term has entered the general lexicon on someone considered unworthy of a task

"Failed to “toe the line" : see "failed to come up to scratch

Featherweight: 126 lbs. weight classification

Fight card: scheduled bouts for an evening of prize fighting

Fight to the finish: a prize fight where there is no rounds limitation imposed and will continue until one fighter is knockout or quits the contest, or both fighters chose to quit resulting in a ND (no decision); currently illegal in all/most jurisdictions

Fight venue: location or facility where a prize fight is held

Fighter: individual who uses the marital art of boxing to win a prize fight

Fighter retired in his corner (RTD): denotes the results of a prize fight where one fighter fails to answer the bell for the next round; the opponent is awarded a KO win

Fighting out of. . .(somewhere): common phrase used by ring announcers when introducing fighters; offers audiences information reading a fighters home location

Fighting in a telephone booth: used to describe a prize fight where both contestants chose to fight in close

Fights from a crouch: fighting technique in which a fighter attempt to limit his opponent’s possible targets by bending over at the waist

"Finish him" : an exclamation by an audience member when he believes one fighter is in the position to knockout his opponent and isn't seizing the opportunity

First blood: wager (bet), commonly associated with bare-knuckle fights, where the gambler tries to predict which fighter will bleed first; has carried over into common culture as metaphor for gaining an early advantage

First warning: denotes a verbal warning by the referee warning a fighter to stop infringing the rules

Fisticuffs: old term used to identify a bare knuckle fight or gloved boxing match

Fixed fight: a bout in which one fighter commits to losing purposely; usually employed to gain a gambling advantage

Flurry: a rapid suggestion of punches thrown in combination

Flyweight: 112 lbs. weight classification

Footwork: a term that denotes a fighter’s ability to move about the ring, usually laterally or to evaluate how well a fighter can position himself in front of his opponent

Furthest neutral corner: denotes one of two corners in the ring not used by a contestant during the one minute rest period between rounds; the corner a contestant is to retreat to after felling his opponent for a count