Although not often heralded, John Graham Chambers made an important contribution to the development of boxing when he devised the Marquess of Queensberry Rules on which the modern sport is based. Born in Carmarthenshire, Wales in 1843, Chambers attended Magdalene College at Cambridge where he met John Sholto Douglas, the eighth Marquess of Queensberry. The two shared an interest in boxing. An accomplished oarsman, Chambers rowed for Cambridge and went on to coach the Cambridge crew.
In 1866, he founded the Amateur Athletic Club and later played a key role in organizing Britain's Amateur Athletic Association. In 1867, Chambers created a set of twelve rules to govern boxing, which established the mandatory use of gloves, the ten-count for a knockout, and three-minute rounds. Douglas agreed to sponsor the regulations which led to them being known as the Queensberry Rules.
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Excerpted with permission from 'The Boxing Register' by James B. Roberts and Alexander G. Skutt, copyright © 1999 by McBooks Press. All rights reserved.
Born: Feb. 12, 1843