prizefight

American  

[prahyz-fahyt] / ˈpraɪzˌfaɪt /

Or prize fight

noun

1. a contest between boxers for a prize, a sum of money, etc.; a professional boxing match.

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prizefight British  

/ ˈpraɪzˌfaɪt /

noun

1. a boxing match for a prize or purse, esp one of the fights popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

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Other Word Forms

• prizefighter noun
• prizefighting noun

Etymology

Origin of prizefight

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

"Watching the video, the officers look more like referees or audience members at a prizefight, not adults charged with the care and supervision of young people," Mr Bonta said at a press conference on Monday.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025

But round two won’t end with a bell, as in a prizefight.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2022

The most exciting series of the young baseball season, a three-day prizefight between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres that exceeded the sky-high expectations, ended Sunday the way the first two games went.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2021

A primary example was the prizefight champion Beau Jack.

From Golf Digest • Apr. 8, 2020

As the hands on the big clock closed in on nine o’clock, the air buzzed with expectancy, like the tension before a prizefight.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose