Two opponents face each other down the ring. They prepare for the onslaught of punches.
This isn’t a usual boxing match, however. Both of these boxers have metallitc arms and joints: They’re robots!
The Competition
The Chinese Media Group (CMG) is hosting the World Robot Competition Series, which also includes a boxing competition.
This competition features some of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots. These robots would be controlled by people during the match.
Rules:
- Arm hit = 1 Point
- Leg kick = 3 Points
- Knockdown/Recover in more than 8 seconds = Penalty
The final round involved AI Strategist competing against Energy Guardian for the championship title. The AI Strategist managed to take the lead for every round, winning the champion title.
But Why?
All this is entertaining, but what’s the point of hosting this?
Think about it for a second: What skills are needed for boxing? You need quick movement and reaction time, good balance, etc. These skills are the basis for humanoid robot engineering.
Engineers are advancing humanoid robot technology, whether its trying to adding a system to get a robot to keep balance from a good punch, or back away from a kick. We can use these systems for humanoid robots with other applications.
It’s Not Just Boxing
The CMG World Robot Competition Series isn’t just limited to boxing.
You can expect to see a robot dribbling a basketball or kicking a football soon. The CMG hopes these next competitions will be able to display the complexity and skills these robots have, and have some fun along the way.
RELATED STORIES:
https://interestingengineering.com/videos/worlds-first-ever-robot-boxing-championship
https://eladelantado.com/news/robot-boxing-tournament-2025/
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1334812.shtml
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/22/world/video/china-humanoid-robots-boxing-ldn-digvid
TAKE ACTION:
- Watch the full match here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVTCXe-0798
