The Greek epic Iliad, an 8th century B.C. Corbett (“Gentleman Jim” Corbett). But still, boxing was in a very rudimentary form, in that there were no defined rules and regulations about any aspect of the sport. work by Homer, illustrates how boxing was a sport that was played in the form of ‘prize-fight’ during funerals.
With the dawn of the 20th century, Germany emerged as an epicenter for boxing with a number of talented boxers to its credit. Some sources also tell us that in ancient Rome, where slavery was deeply rooted, boxing matches were arranged for those slaves, who sought freedom. commenced in the 70s which could be viewed live on color television sets. These stalwarts in my opinion are men who have fought for guts and glory and forever left an indelible mark in the minds of fans. Some of these boxers included Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, James. A lot of money was involved in such fights, with the victorious individual winning hefty amounts. Later on, though, it was included in the Olympic games and thus became a full-fledged sport rather than making ceremonial appearances. In the following years, a lot of boxers stemmed from controversial pasts. It did make minor appearances in the form of bare-knuckle fighting during the Renaissance age in 16th century Europe, but did not manage to gain enough popularity, as it was then practiced predominantly by the lower classes. Everyone was suddenly very curious to know about their roots and the origin of things. However, the following Anglo-French war for colonial dominance that took place during the 1780s, triggered a strong nationalist sentiment in the people of England in general. He described his unconventional and distinctive style of fighting as ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’.
Mike Tyson (1985-2005): As a boxer, there was no question that Tyson makes an important part of this list. and Oscar De La Hoya hailing from countries such as Britain and Canada, who carved a niche for themselves. Gambling and betting on the fighters came to be a rage with huge stakes involved. J. This definitely makes him one of the greatest boxers of all times.
The 18th century Revival
A Leap Forward. as the law was a little skeptical about the motive of this prizefighting sport that was usually held at shady venues. Braddock, Jack Dempsey, Jess Willard and Georges Carpentier amongst many others.
Muhammad Ali (1960-1981): Possibly a living example of why boxing is called a lethal sport, Muhammad Ali has been revered all over the world as one of the greatest boxers ever. Chambers was also an honored member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Boxers such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durn and Marvin Hagler continued to intrigue the spectators. This was followed with the establishment of boxing commissions, legal sanctioning and governing bodies.
Men began looking at boxing as a way of defending themselves from hooligans who menaced all across the streets of London.
The popularity of boxing was thus increasing at a tremendous speed. Yet, he steadfastly voiced his opinion about being against the whole idea of the Vietnam War and went on to inspire the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. The whole vibe and accord of times that saw these champions in action is ineffable and still vests in the hearts of many. It became the sport of the masses, a sport in which men from every race, class and creed could participate. On the contrary, the one who lost was either killed in that combat or was retained as a slave for the rest of his life. Possibly, the very fact that it is a brutal combat sport, wherein participants take on each other, one on one, plays an important role in creating the hype that exists around modern boxing.
Willie Pep (1940-1966): This Italian-American boxer has a record of 229 victories out of the 241 matches that he played.
Sugar Ray Robinson (1940-1965): One of the few sportsmen who have a commemorative stamp in their name, he is regarded as one of the greatest boxers to ever have set foot inside the ring.
Boxing, today, is a multimillion dollar sport that has inspired and garnered millions of passionate followers throughout the world. More and more people wanted to learn the sport and be an active part of it.
So, in ancient times, boxing was in a very primitive stage. A major part of this physical sport then involved fencing and cudgeling. But popularity always has a price to pay. The resurrection of boxing finally came about. Ali was stripped of boxing title and license, after which he did not make a ring appearance for four years. Numerous boxing schools and academies sprang up all across England and, not surprisingly, most of them were soon overflowing with applications. Some of the basic rules that shaped conventional boxing since then, includedThe use of ‘mufflers’ or padded gloves, Prohibition to attack and grapple an opponent below the waist, and Disqualifying a player if he was unable to get up and fight back within a prescribed time limit of 30 seconds, after being knocked down by his opponent. Broughton is said to have formalized these rules after he injured an opponent in a prize-fight so severely that he eventually died. The modern professional boxing scene saw many legends showcasing their talent since 1920s. The ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ was a set of 12 rules which called for the mandatory use of gloves during the boxing match, a standard size of the boxing ring, dividing a boxing match into different rounds of three minutes each and a count of 10 seconds for a complete and an undisputed victory.
Gladiator contestants wrapped their hands in leather straps embedded with metal shards, sharp enough, to injure their opponent.
An interesting take on boxing, as a mortal combat event, comes from ancient Rome where it was included in the gladiator contests, where the contestants fought until one of them died, or was severely injured. His fights, particularly with Richard Humphreys fetched a lot of audience as both of them would block attacks, taunt each other (both during the match and in the newspaper bytes that they gave the night before the match) and wave their bodies in a unique way for the purpose of self-defense. England became the birthplace of what came to be known as ‘prizefighting’, wherein the two contestants fought on behalf of their patrons, sometimes even to settle their patrons’ personal grudges. The competitors were divided into lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight in accordance to their physical characteristics which broadened the possibilities of participation. People from all walks of life would flock to the venues and this spectator sport was usually held at underground locations like the Lillie Bridge in London which was often subject to raids and arrests by the local police. The combat took place between two such slaves and the one who won was released from the bonds of slavery. Despite all this, in the 21st century, the glory that boxing once achieved and enjoyed, seems to have diminished considerably with other more glamorous and supposedly elitist sports such as cricket and football coming to the forefront.
Did you know?A British periodical, London Protestant Mercury, featured the victory of James Figg in bare-knuckle championship in 1719 for the first time ever in the history of prizefighting. A professional British boxer, Amir Khan, shot to fame quickly with the WBO Intercontinental, Commonwealth and WBA International titles to his name. However, the sport itself is mired with stories, controversies, contradictions and of course, personal enmities.
Owing to his contribution to the sport, Jack Broughton is known as the ‘Father of English Boxing’.
In order to avoid such gruesome situations, in 1743, a set of rules were introduced for all boxing matches which were supposed to be played thenceforth. Owing to this, boxing took one more leap forward. This was the period when the people of Europe looked keenly into their ancient sources of knowledge and wisdom and tried to incorporate them in their daily lives. The introduction of gloves changed the entire pulse of the game. These rules were eventually succeeded by ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ that set the parameters for modern-day boxing.
The ‘Gillette Friday Night Fights’ program that aired live boxing matches from around the globe on NBC and later on the ABC network, was a rage.
In the 1950s, the world had started finding its feet economically after World War II. Boxing has also been controversy’s child through time. But, will there be another iconic era for boxing? Only time will tell!
The first solid evidence of boxing has been recorded way back around 3000 B.C, and comes from Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Boxing is one of the oldest contact sports known to mankind. Matches for boxing titles in accordance to divisions such as lightweight, heavyweight, etc. Corbett emerge as the victor. One famous incident was the 1938 match between Max Schmeling and Joe Louis that resulted in Schmeling’s defeat after which he was compelled by Adolf Hitler to enroll in the German armed forces. Because it essentially involves fist fighting, the practice may have existed, not as a sport, but as a form of violent encounters, even during the prehistoric times. Whoever wished, could take part, and anybody could fight anyone. This was the first true revolution that happened in the field of boxing.
The 1867 draft of the ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ paved the way for a number of amateur competitions at popular venues throughout London.
Glamor to the Glitz
What had commenced on dingy streets and shady taverns, evolved into a stage with cheering spectators and spotlights; Boxing had officially arrived!
Despite the establishment of the ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ and the soaring popularity of the sport, boxing in the late 19th century came to be outlawed in U.K. In 1892, in New Orleans, the title for the first heavyweight champion under the Queensberry Rules was spectacularly fought between John L. This shows how ceremonially important the sport may have been in ancient Greece. The attack and defense strategies, gradually began to change from their orthodox bare-knuckle counterparts. But at the same time, he is also a classic case of how too much of publicity and adulation can be extremely bad for a person.
Mike Tyson, in 1986, was reigning supreme at the peak of his career with the World Heavyweight Champion title to himself.
Boxing in the 1980s and 1990s featured some of the most magnificent matches, primarily financed by the corporates. However, a lot of prominent promoters were either involved with the Mafia, or were the Mafia themselves, and boxing transitioned into an intense and notorious backdrop. Several legendary fights of all time are still reminisced upon by ardent fans and spectators. Sometimes, the fights became so intense and vehement that they resulted in the death of one of the fighters. Players were prohibited from wearing boots with springs or even from hugging the opponent or wrestling with him. However, the sport itself fell into a state of obscurity after the downfall of the Roman Empire. An immortal legacy has been shaped by various champion boxers, who came, reigned and left. Fighters from Cuba, Russia, India and USA have shown some serious talent in the recent times, and the world has witnessed several women’s boxing tournaments as well. Army during the Vietnam War. Regardless of this, he never managed to score high ranks but still his winning record brought to his name, a lot of glory.
During World War II, a boxing ring became a major battlefield for champions hailing from different countries. It was officially ranked as the most difficult sport by ESPN in 2004. When one of the boxers was too tired and injured to fight any further, the other one was declared the winner. The ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ were finally published in 1867.
Though many people thought that such kind of dance-like moves gave a crude tint to the otherwise white-collared gentleman’s sport, the sport did manage to get a considerable fan following of the young and the old alike.
Roosevelt wanted all men of America to be strong and sturdy and regarded boxers to be “men as hard as nails”.
The ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ then transitioned as the foundation of boxing governance into the USA and Canada. It was one of those competitive sports wherein contestants either lived or died, or in some cases suffered irreparable injuries.
One such controversial boxing legend during the 1960s was Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), who embraced Islam and was charged with evasion of not serving the U.S.
The first officially recorded boxing match took place in England, where Christopher Monck, an English politician set up a contest between his butler and his butcher.
The Torch is Lit
After Jack Broughton’s era as a bare-knuckle champion, the interest of English aristocracy in boxing faced a decline. He brought with him, his unique style of boxing footwork and counter punches.
In countries like Cuba, North Korea and Norway, professional boxing still remains banned.
Soon enough, boxing grew to international heights and ‘professional boxing’ emerged in many countries.
The ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ borrows the name from the 9th Marquess Of Queensberry, Sir John Sholto Douglas.
In 1838 came the introduction of the ‘London Prize Ring Rules’ which were to be revised later in 1853. Also, Theodore Roosevelt advocated boxing to a large extent. In this quest of gaining knowledge from the sources of antiquity, the curious Europeans stumbled upon ancient references to boxing which triggered a renewed interest in the sport. Boxing event organizers, promoters and managers generated a heavy amount of finance through their work. The code of these rules was penned down in 1865 by a Welshman called John Graham Chambers, who was an all-star athlete and sportsman excelling in boxing, cycling, wrestling, rowing and billiards. What started off as a competitive sport mainly played for betting, boxing has come a long way from what it used to be. The butcher eventually won and was rewarded.
The wealthy English aristocrats began to patronize bare-knuckle fights among the boxers whom they chose. The result of the match saw James J.
The new generation of boxers are also an energetic and spectacular breed. These rules came to be recognized as Broughton’s rules named after an English bare-knuckle champion Jack Broughton, who formalized them.
Daniel Mendoza was a Jewish fighter and so was often referred to as ‘the Jew’.
A lot of fights began to be arranged during this time leading to a lot of new pugilists rising to popularity. Vijender Singh, a small town boy from India was also recognized by the International Boxing Association which announced him as the top ranked boxer in the annual middleweight category in 2009. Suddenly, everybody wanted to do things that they thought were truly ‘English’. One such name that rose to prominence was a London-based pugilist called Daniel Mendoza. Shortly after this era, in the 20th century, boxing, through its highs and lows came to be recognized as a prominent part of society and featured many influential promoters and legendary champions. But again, these contests were not based on any kind of rules and regulations. While he himself was trained in boxing as a young man, he also promoted it as a manly sport. As a result, owing to the development of boxing as a white-collared sport in England and the valuable contribution of their very own Jack Broughton to it, boxing also re-emerged, alongside many other things, with force and double the energy. He also has a record of winning 73 matches in a row. Television had made its way in a majority of homes and international network providers featured live sport broadcasts. Moreover, every new kid on the block, brought with him his own style of fighting (staying within the framework of Broughton’s rules) which gained more and more fame for the sport. Sullivan (Boston Strong Boy) and James J. The 90s paved way for many talented newcomers like Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The upper class elites indulged in more noble forms of entertainment and regarded boxing as a savage sport.
Rocky Marciano (1948-1955): One of the hardest punchers of all times, Marciano remained undefeated in all the 49 matches which he played. Boxing Championships were now, not only limited to the United States and England but was also hosted by many other countries like South Africa, Japan, Australia and Argentina. The rules, however, revolved around bare-knuckle boxing only and upheld Jack Broughton’s legacy for a little over a century.
18th century Europe saw the age of Enlightenment. Despite being an underrated sport today, boxing still finds a huge fan following amongst fierce and passionate boxing lovers. He, however, returned to the boxing ring in the 1970s.
Establishments like World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) began pitching competitions against each other. This was when the term ‘boxing’ was coined.
As a sport, boxing has given the world great men and excellent sportsmen
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