Like all Asian Games boxing events, the competition was a straight single-elimination tournament. This event consisted of 21 boxers. The competition began with the round 32 on 7 December, where the number of competitors was reduced to 16, and concluded with the final on 17 December. As there were fewer than 32 boxers in the competition, a number of boxers received a bye through the preliminary round. Both semi-final losers were awarded bronze medals.
All bouts consisted of five three-minute rounds. The boxers receive points for every successful punch they land on their opponent's head or upper body. The boxer with the most points at the end of the bouts wins. If a boxer is knocked to the ground and cannot get up before the referee counts to 10 then the bout is over and the opponent wins.
