History of Boxing

The specific origins boxing are not known, but evidence can be found dating back to 1500 BC on the Greek island of Crete, Homer mentions a type of boxing 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 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 today's' boxing gloves.

Modern day boxing can be traced back to the 1904 St Louis USA Olympics, when the USA won 7 gold medals, before 1904 boxing was considered to dangerous, the 1908 Olympics was the first time for the sport in the UK with England winning 5 gold medals.

UK Boxing History: First Heavyweight Champ First Boxing Gloves First Rules

Boxing events declined and finally disappeared during the fall of the Roman Empire around 5th century AD and was not revived until 1660 by English monarchy. The first printed record of a staged boxing match appeared in a newspaper in 1681. The most notable icon of boxing history during this era is James Figg - who become 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 revolutionized 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.

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. many if not all learned the basic skills as amateur boxers.

For the latest boxing news, events from the UK four nations amateur boxing clubs plus a free newsletter visit the Amateur Boxing Forum's website.

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