The history of boxing can be traced back to 1500BC with Olympic boxing history dating back to the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. The 1904 games also included women's boxing for the first time.
The origins boxing are unknown, but there is evidence of boxing dating back to 1500 BC on the Greek island of Crete, in fact Homer mentions in one of his many poems about a two-person fight in the Iliad around 1800 BC, and Plato describes boxing in two articles " The Republic " and " The Dialogue Gorgias".
In ancient Greece and Rome, it was quite normal for boxing, wrestling and weaponry to make up part of a young man's education. The Romans also turned boxing into a more brutal sport by making the event into a gladiatorial competition. During this era, boxers covered their arms and hands with leather thongs called "cestus". The forerunner of boxing gloves. The ancient boxing matches only end when one fighter is fatally injured.
Boxing History: First Rules, First Boxing Gloves And First Heavyweight Champ
The first printed record of a staged boxing fight was on a newspaper in 1681. The most notable icon of boxing history during this era is James Figg - the first British heavyweight champion of 1719. He was also the pioneer of "sparring exhibitions" and founded numerous amphitheaters for boxing.
James Figg died around 1740 but left behind his favorite pupil named George Taylor who later became the successor of Figg's title. However, it was in 1734 that a man named Jack Broughton completely revolutionised the sport by formulating the first codes of the game known as the "London Prize Ring Rules of 1743" and inventing the first boxing gloves.
Jack Broughton is known in boxing history as the "Father of Boxing Rules". He formulated the rule that no fighter can hit below the waist or while his opponent is down, which ensured that no more fatalities during bouts would occur. These first rules of boxing remained the standard regulations until it was revised in 1838.
1838 Revised Rules And Boxing History Worldwide
Jack Broughton London Prize Ring Rules of 1743 had an update in 1838 to include additional rules to protect boxers, these included rules for bordering of ropes to 24-foot-square rings. And rules covering knocked downs, a boxer has to rise without anyone's help within 30 seconds for the fight to continue. The new rules also forbid head butting, biting and "hitting below the belt" which would now be classed as fouls.
During the early 19th century, the influence of religious movements and reforms as well as the rise of the middle class gave a negative effect on how people approved of boxing. As a result, various laws against boxing were passed and law enforcements began stopping bouts. The judge prosecutes all people who were involved with prizefights.
Due to the restrictions enforced over boxers in the United Kingdom, many British boxers immigrated to the United States to find a new place to defend their titles. From the immigrants' influence, boxing history in the United States dramatically became popular when an English boxer was set to fight an American boxer.
The first heavyweight world championships took place on April 17 of 1860 at the Farnborough, England. The match was between the British champion Tom Sayers and a popular American boxer known as John Camel Heenan. The fight lasted for 120 minutes of continuous action, but paused in the 37th round when the crowd rushed forward into the ring. After another five rounds of bashing, the world championship ended with a draw - each fighter receiving a championship belt for world title.
As the first international championship gave the audiences an exhilarating experience, many boxers from UK, USA and other parts of the world continued to make front-page news accumulating more and more boxing fans. Today, boxing history includes more than 100 title-holders and record breakers that will remain legends for the generations to come. We must not forget that many of today's world champs learnt the sport in amateur boxing.
John Logan sports writer with an interest in UK amateur boxing.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!