Boxers: Tell me about trunk colors

[Malienation]

Boxers on TV always wear different colored boxing trunks to distinguish them from each other. The announcers often refer to, "so-and-so in the blue trunks", for example. Since boxing is a weight-class dependent sport, boxers tend to look roughly the same, so this makes sense; after all, it would be rude for the announcers to say, "so-and-so with the huge ears and great big honkin' nose". So far, so good. But how do they pick the trunk colors? I mean, what if the boxers show up with the same color trunks?

How embarrassing. :eek:

AFAIK, race cars get numbers assigned. Do boxers have trunk colors assigned, or do the boxers pick? How are conflicts resolved? And if the boxers pick, do they have a fixed palette of colors to pick from, or an infinite number of colors? If there's an infinite number of colors, what happens if, say, a guy with midnight blue trunks fights a guy with navy blue trunks? Won't less color-aware fans be confused? While we're at it, I've noticed boxing trunks often aren't particularly ornate (unlike the fighter's robes, which can be quite elaborate). Is there some rule about this?

Educate me, fight fans.

[pravnik]

Usually regulations require that boxers bring two pairs of differently colored trunks, and that commission staff won't approve of outfits that are so similar as to cause confusion. In the amateurs it's often not as big a deal in practice, as the promoter provides gloves and headgear that usually identify the red and blue corners.

[Madd Maxx]

I saw a fight a couple of weeks back (either Wednesday or Friday Night Fights on ESPN) where both boxers were wearing white trunks with a subtle difference in the trim. It didn't hinder identifying the fighters too much as one guy was white and the other was black. One of the announcers even mentioned it in passing. It was unusual enough for it to stick out in my head though.

[Max Torque]

I believe I saw a fight back in the day of USA's Tuesday Night Fights where both boxers wore black trunks. As I recall, the infographic at the bottom of the screen distinguished them thusly: "A: black trunks, white socks / B: black trunks, no socks".

"A boxer's trunks aren't particularly ornate"? Dude, did you never see Jorge Paez? I kept expecting him to wear a full-length ball gown in his next fight. I swear, he selected his trunks on a "what'll distract my opponent most" basis.