History of Boxing: An Overview and the Names of Some Boxing Champions
Boxing is known to many as a violent sport. This sport involves two people fighting and is about the display of one’s strength and skill. Today boxing is an important sport also included as part of the Olympic Games. But do you know where this all began? Read this article to know more about the history of boxing.
Boxing, also called Pugilism and Sweet Science, is often called the "manly art of self defence". The sport deals with two people trying to hit each other with their glove-encased fists while at the same time trying to protect themselves from the blows coming from the opponent's direction also abiding by the rules of boxing. Such a sport is supervised by a referee. The whole event is divided into a series of three-minute interval rounds with 1 minute rest periods. The two boxers are generally of the same weight. There are two different forms of boxing: Professional Boxing and Amateur Boxing.The History Of Boxing
In several archeological evidences, we get to know about a sport in which two competitors fight with fists, using or not-using gloves. In literature, specifically in Homer's Iliad, we encounter a detailed description of a boxing-fight. This shows that boxing is not any sort of a recently discovered sport, but has been discovered and modified since ancient times.
Boxing was first introduced into the Olympic Games as a sport in 688 B.C. Participants trained on punching bags and the fighters wore leather straps on their hands which left their fingers free.
Futher records of classical boxing could not be found with the fall of the Roman Empire because of the waning of fist-fighting and the prevalence of the carrying of weapons. However, boxing was revived in the the 18th century in England and regained immense popularity during the championship reign of James Figg. This is also the time when the word 'BOXING' came to be first used. The sport soon became a popular one among the working-class during the Industrial Revolution and competitors and spectators were attracted towards such prize-fights.
It should be noted that boxing during Mr. Figg's time was very different from the form of the sport prevalent in the later and modern times because then in addition to fist-fighting the sport also included fencing and cudgeling. Early fighting also recorded an absence of listed rules. In is in the year 1743, that the rules of boxing were first recorded by a certain Jack Broughton. This rules outlawed some gorier aspects of the sport such as the hitting below the belt. He also insisted upon a squared off area for the fighters instead of a 'ring' of spectators. In 1866, the Marquess of Queensbury introduced a new set of rules which have been popular as the Marquess of Queensbury Rules of Boxing and are prevalent in the modern times. He included the specific number of rounds, eliminated gouging and wrestling and also made the wearing of gloves mandatory during the match.
Boxing has been popularly indentified by its violent nature and its relation with betting. For these reasons mainly, it has had a controversial history. We get several instances in historical records where boxing has been banned at several countries. But the regaining of popularity of this sport has also resulted in the forming of better rules and regulations which makes boxing such an engaging sport for both the participants and the spectators. List of the Names of Famous Boxers
Here is an extract of the extensive list of male and female boxers who have made it big in the world of boxing:
•Muhammed Ali.
•Mike Tyson.
•Jack Dempsey.
•Joe Louis.
•Rocky Marcian.
•Vipin Kumar
•Billy Conn
•John L. Sullivan
•Benny Leonard
•Mickey Walker
•Barney Ross
•Henry Armstrong
•Thokchom Nanau
•M.C. Marykom
•James J. Corbett
•Juilio Cesar Chavez
•Sugar Ray Robinson
•Vijender Singh
•Alicia Ashley
•Theresa Arnold
•Bonnie Canino
