The Early History Of Boxing

The ancient Egyptian civilization holds the veryobjective- defeat the opponent.
first records of bare hand-to-hand combats.This type of boxing basically remained constant
Further records were found among the archivesbefore modern boxing came into scene. So for
and art works of the Greek and Romanmany decades, there were no rules, no referees,
civilizations and these evidently suggest thatno guidelines and no proper trainings that boxers
boxing was already a public favorite. This isreceived. In fact, there were no considerations for
because during these civilizations, boxing hasthe weight classes of the fighters. So heavy
already become an organized and highly favoredweights can fight with flyweight and bantam
public spectacle.weight can fight with super heavy weight and so
However, only during the 18th century did Englandon. During these times, bouts were organized by
popularized boxing as a sport and not a brutal andway of sending letter of invitations between
bloody spectacle comparable with those fightscontenders.  
seen in the gladiator arenas.  But even in 18thThe working class was first to patronize the sport
century England, boxing was seen more of auntil it caught the attention of the titled class and
bloody fight than a game. Nonetheless, this wasthe royalty. Wealthy enthusiasts then worked to
the time when the first boxing champions weresomewhat organize the fights by sponsoring
formally recognized and actually held titles in thethem. It was during this time that rings
International Boxing Hall of Fame. The so-calledpermanently became a square platform instead of
boxing pioneers then fought with bare knuckles.the ring of people who surround the boxers.  It
While these pioneers had already passed out ofwas also at this time when the first formal rules
history, they laid the substance of boxing as awere set by Jack Broughton, who himself was a
sport as we know it today.former boxing champion.
The Bare Knuckles Era is essentially the periodUntil 1838, the rudimentary rules as outlined by
when formal boxing fights were introduced. DuringBroughton's Rules were followed until a more
these times, boxers fought without restriction anddetailed and more organized rule of the London
they fought only in an arbitrary ring created byPrize Ring Rules was put forth. This was followed
the circling of the spectators themselves.immediately by the appearance of Daniel Mendoza
Referees and gloves were just about to bewho introduced a more scientific approach to
introduced so during this period, fighters foughtboxing.
for as long as they can endure. Fight then couldHe was an English champion for four years and he
sometimes last for hours for there were no timehelped recreate boxing fights, minus the usual
limits yet and they could continue through theanything-goes crudeness. And so, it was partially
next day depending on the arrangementsthanks to him that boxing eventually outgrew its
between the boxers.marathon-like set-up, its crudity, and its
Also, rules were not yet present so the gamecharacteristics that lent championship to boxers
was basically governed by the fighter's sense ofwho were not actually skilled in boxing but were
sportsmanship. Naturally, there were no violationsonly cunning enough to defeat their opponents.
for hitting below the belt or for using a smallFrom this period, succession of developments
cudgel. Blood was of course present and injuriesoccurred which led to the current system of
were common. The main objective of the game,boxing we have nowadays.
however, is somewhat the same with the current