History of Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport. Since its start, two people throw punches at each other. Eventually, it evolves into boxing with a specific time and protective gloves.

The early years of boxing

In 688 BCE, Boxing appeared as a formal Olympic event in the 23rd Olympiad. The style of fist fighting is somewhat older. The first evidence of boxing appears in the 3rd millennium BCE in Sumerian relief carvings.

In 1350 BCE in Egyptian Thebes, both the boxers and spectators were seen. In the early years, boxing was fought barehanded. The first evidence of the use of protective gloves was seen from Minoan Crete in 1500 BCE. During that time helmet boxers were seen also wearing the stiff plate strapped around the fists. 

Rules for the boxing game come from ancient Greece. During that time, there was no round system in boxing games. A winner was selected when an opponent accepts defeat by holding a finger or he was unable to continue the match. In boxing clinching of the opponent, either by one or two arms was strictly prohibited. In the past, boxing fights took place in an outdoor environment that added the extra challenge of bright sunlight and the intense heat for the boxers.

Boxers came from all backgrounds. In the beginning, most of the boxers came from distinguished and wealthy backgrounds. 

Boxing was considered as the most injurious sport by the Greeks. The first fight in the 1st Century ended up in the boxer’s victory that was gained in blood. In Greek literature, you can find out this sport has caused disfigurement and even death of the boxers. In the early fights, there were no rules. In the early days, there were no specified rounds and no weight divisions and even no referee. It seems chaotic. 

The earliest boxing rules came into act in 1743 and those were introduced by Jack Broughton. The main purpose of the rules was to prevent the deaths of boxers that were occurring during the fights. According to these rules if an opponent falls down and he was unable to get up after a count of 30 seconds the fight was considered over. Grasping and hitting the already downed fighter was strongly prohibited. These rules help the fighters to enjoy lots of advantages that are not enjoyed by today’s boxers. 

However, in modern boxing, there is a three minutes limit to rounds. In modern boxing, if a fighter is intentionally going down he will end up losing points. 

The Queensberry rules

Boxing rules were introduced by John Chambers in 1867. Rules of boxing are given-below:

• For a fair stand up boxing match the ring should be of 24 ft or 7.3 meters in size. 
• In boxing, no hugging or wrestling is allowed. 
• Each round will be of three minutes duration and between each round, there will be a 1-minute interval. 
• 10 seconds will be allowed to a fighter if he falls because of weakness or any other reasons, he must get up unaided. Other fighter will go back to his corner and the fight will be resumed when a fighter gets back to his legs. Round will continue until the three minutes round time is expired. If a downed fighter unable to get up in 10 seconds, then it will depend on the referee to give the match-winning award to the other man. 
• If a boxer is hanging around the ropes with his toes off the ground and he is in a helpless state, the boxer will be considered down. 
• During the rounds, no other person will be allowed in the ring. 
• If due to some unavoidable interference match is stopped, the referee will announce the date and place for the contest so that a winner can be chosen unless backers of both the men agree to draw the stakes. 
• New, fair quality and fair-sized boxing gloves should be used for fights. 
• If a glove comes off or gets burst it should be replaced for the satisfaction of the referee.
• Boxer on one knee will be considered down and the other will be considered as a winner.
• Shoes or boots with springs are not allowed in any condition and any fight.
• The contest will be governed under the revised rules of the London Prize Ring. 

Boxing today

Boxing became part of both the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. Boxing has its own World Championships and it is also the fixture in almost all the international games.

There are multiple rounds in boxing and matches will be monitored by a referee. Boxing involves defense and attack with fists. A boxer can win a match either by outscoring the opponent or by disabling the opponent so that the opponent might be unable to continue the match. 

This game rises from illegal venues and outlawed prizefighting, but now boxing has turned into the largest multi-billion dollar sport. Currently, most of the boxing talent is coming from the poverty areas from all around the world. Countries like Mexico, Eastern Europe, South America, and Africa are filled with young athletes and all these athletes want to become the future of boxing. Even in different cities in the U.S, like New York have also shown some promising talent.  According to Rubin in the US, most of the boxers came from the streets and are street fighters. 

Conclusion

In the past, fist boxing was used to resolve disputes. Boxing became the part of the Olympic Games in 1904. Nowadays the sport of boxing is loved and followed by millions. In modern times, it is one of the most popular combat sports in the world. Boxing is also known as the “Sweet Science of Martial Arts Discipline”. Boxing comprises of punching combinations, defense, upper body movement, and the fluid footwork. Two men enter the ring with the same objective of knocking the opponent and win enough rounds to be declared as a winner. It is the purest test of man’s physical ability. This combat sport is an excellent choice for self-defense situations.