A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on which fighter won the match, while the third judge indicates that neither fighter won (i.e., a "draw").
In boxing, each of the three judges allocates a score (round by round) for each fighter. If all scheduled rounds are completed (i.e., no knockout (technical included)), each judge totals the points for all rounds. If the same fighter scores more points than the other on two of the judges' scorecards, but the third judge scored equally for both fighters (a draw), the official victory is awarded to the agreed-upon (by a 2 to 1 'majority') fighter. If all judges rule for the same boxer, the decision is referred to as a unanimous decision.
The majority decision is frequently confused with the term split decision, but they are not the same. A split decision occurs when two judges pick the same fighter as the winner, while the third judge decides that the opposite fighter won. On very rare occasions, two judges vote for a draw while the third chooses a winner—this is a majority draw.
Notable examples DateFightScorecardsSourceNovember 6, 1993Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield II115–113 Holyfield115–114 Holyfield114–114April 22, 1994Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer116–112 Moorer115–114 Moorer114–114May 10, 1996Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer96–94 Lewis96–95 Lewis95–95November 8, 2003Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr.117–111 Jones116–112 Jones114–114December 20, 2008Nikolai Valuev vs. Evander Holyfield116–112 Valuev115–114 Valuev114–114November 12, 2011Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III116–112 Pacquiao115–113 Pacquiao114–114September 14, 2013Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez117–111 Mayweather116–112 Mayweather114–114May 3, 2014Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Marcos Maidana117–111 Mayweather116–112 Mayweather114–114June 21, 2014Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Gary Russell Jr.116–112 Lomachenko116–112 Lomachenko114–114August 16, 2014Shawn Porter vs. Kell Brook117–111 Brook116–112 Brook114–114August 20, 2016Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor II48–47 McGregor48–47 McGregor47–47December 10, 2016Joseph Parker vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.115–113 Parker115–113 Parker114–114September 16, 2018Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II115–113 Álvarez115–113 Álvarez114–114January 27, 2018Oleksandr Usyk vs. Mairis Briedis115–113 Usyk115–113 Usyk114–114March 18, 2023Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman III48–46 Edwards48-46 Edwards47-47April 20, 2024Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia115–109 Garcia114–110 Garcia112–112October 12, 2024Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol116–112 Beterbiev115–113 Beterbiev114–114February 22, 2025Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol II116–112 Bivol115–113 Bivol114–114August 22, 2026Rolando Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez116–112 Lopez115–113 Lopez114–114
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