Boxing in history
Boxing is a very old contact sports. It existed in many forms across the world for centuries. The origins of boxing can be traced back to prehistoric periods of Ethiopia, Egypt and early Sumerian Civilization.
The earliest visual evidence of any type of boxing comes Egypt and Sumer in as early as third millennium BC. These early Middle-Eastern and Egyptian depictions showed contests where fighters were either bare-fisted or had a band supporting the wrist. In India the earlies reference of the sports comes "Musti-Yuddha" in the Rig Veda around 1500-1000 BC.
In Europe the visuals of Boxing can be seen in early Greek civilization and was introduced as a sports in Olympics in 688 BC.
Ancient Greece and roman empire
Boxing as sports
While in ancient times, Boxing was more like a fist fight, its transformation into sports came in Ancient Greece and Roman Empire. The boxers would wind leather thongs around their hands in order to protect them. There were no rounds and boxers fought until one of them acknowledged defeat or could not continue.
After the fall of Roman empire, boxing vanished from the scene as swords and clubs were seen as more advanced way of combat and is sporting feature continued in a more subdued manner. The sport later resurfaced in England during the early 16th century in the form of Bare Knuckle Boxing.
James Figg became the first Bare Knuckle or Prizefighting as commonly known Champion in 1719. At the same time the sports came to be known as Boxing. But the sport was devoid of any rules.
The first rules
Boxing with rules
While initially the Boxing in England was with out any rules, the chaotic nature of the sports forced people to think about it.
It came in the form of "Broughton Rules" compiled by fighter Jack Broughton in 1743. Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited.
These rules were further modified in the form of London Prize Ring Rules, some of which are still relevant today such as outlawing butting, gouging, scratching, kicking, hitting a man while down, holding the ropes, and using resin, stones or hard objects in the hands, and biting.
1n 1867, a new set of rules emerged by the name of Marquess of Queensberry Rules drafted by John Chambers. This have been the general rules governing modern boxing since their publication in 1867.
The illegal prizefights
fight for legitimacy
While initially the Boxing in England was done in full public exposure, by early 19th Century it lost the legitimacy due to its violent nature and associated social nuisance. Outlawed in England and much of the United States, prizefights were often held at gambling venues and broken up by police.
In the United States, the films were prohibited to showcase bare knuckle Boxing scene in 1897, while in England it got banned due to chances of injuries.
The first world heavyweight champion under the Queensberry Rules was "Gentleman Jim Corbett" who defeated John Sullivan in 1892. Despite these Boxers struggled to gain legitimacy.
The entry into olympics
Modern boxing
After the 1892 title fight, it took two decades for Boxing to gain legitimacy. in 1908, the sports was included in the Olympics but as a amateur boxing. Amateur boxing has a point scoring system that measures the number of clean blows landed rather than physical damage. Bouts consist of three rounds of three minutes in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and three rounds of three minutes in a national ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) bout, each with a one-minute interval between rounds. Competitors wear protective headgear and gloves with a white strip or circle across the knuckle.
The early bare knuckle fights got changed into regulated fights and came under the system of Professional Boxing in early 1920s. Professional bouts are usually much longer than amateur bouts, typically ranging from ten to twelve rounds, though four-round fights are common for less experienced fighters or club fighters. Headgear is not permitted in professional bouts, and boxers are generally allowed to take much more damage before a fight is halted.
The multi million dollar boxing business
Modern era
After end of WW2, the professional boxing sports rose rapidly in popularity.The modern sport arose from illegal venues and outlawed prizefighting and has become a multibillion-dollar commercial enterprise. A majority of young talent still comes from poverty-stricken areas around the world. The advent of Television changed Boxing as a sport. The airplane also impacted as travel became faster between cities and continents.
Popular American fighters in the 1950s proved legendary: Sugar Ray Robinson would still win world titles, Rocky Marciano became the only heavyweight world champion in history to retire with perfect record. Jersey Joe Walcott the oldest heavyweight champion created ripples among the viewers.
Then in 1960s came Cassius Clay who later became Mohammed Ali. Along side him were great champions like George Foreman and Joe Frazier.
During the 1970s, boxing was characterized by dominating champions and history-making rivalries. The decade had many superstars, who also had fierce rivals.In 1971, world witnessed a massive fight, a new for that time between Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier called the "The Fight of the Century". Attended by celebrities like- Cher, Frank Sinatra, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Diana Ross and others.
It resulted in Ali dropped by Joe in the fifteenth round.
The new boy in the boxing world
tyson era
After the cinematic 1970s, mid 1980s saw the emergence of a 16 year old dynamo called Mike Tyson. Fighting out of Catskill NY, under Trainor Cus-Dmato and Kevin Rooney, he turned out to a be dynamite in Heavy weight Boxing. He filled the void of Ali and took boxing to new heights with Promoters like Don King and Bob Arum.
He became one the most ferocious heavyweight boxers of the world with hard body punches and sharp knockouts. He dominated the boxing scene for a decade and passed on the title to Evander Holyfield.
From mid 1990s to mid 2000s, the time saw one of the greatest fights involving Iron Mike, Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar Dela Hoya, Mannie Piqquao, Floyd Mayweather Jr to name a few.