The Growth of the Sport of Boxing

Hand-to-hand combat may be the oldest type of combat that happened between homo sapiens. While weapons replaced the fist for a means to hunt, hand-to-hand combat persisted as a means of settling disputes. Sports were often developed as a method for soldiers to keep their skills during times of peace. The origins of such competitions can be viewed in events such as chariot races in Egypt or the javelin tosses of early Greece. Many modern sports originated in the first Olympic games of Greece. These sporting events gave rise to wrestling, archery, shot put, discus, and lots of running events. The most important sport to the topic was known as pankration. This violent game involved using kicks and punches, and it just had rules against eye gouges and strikes to the groin. These days, this sport is viewed as the predecessor to modern MMA-style competitions.

Depictions of fighters with Wrapped fists have been discovered in the artwork of ancient Minoa from as early as 1500 BCE, and this sort of fighting apparel was described in Ancient Egypt in addition to Greece. Romans enjoyed watching gladiators fight using only their fists, though boxers would wrap their hands in leather thongs to protect their hands. Hardened leather was inserted in additional layers so the fighters’ fists became mortal bludgeoning weapons. This game was actually outlawed in Rome because of the violent and brutal nature. Fistfights fell from favor with the arrival of casual weaponry – that is, wearing a sword or other weapon as part of everyday attire. Some allusions to fistfights exist in text from Italy and Russia between the 12th and 17th centuries. The sport has been revitalized during the late 17th century in England, when carrying weapons had fallen from fashion.

Resurrected as prizefighting in London, organized fistfights were bare-knuckle, barbarous, and sometimes fatal affairs. Rules created by champion fighter jack brought on introduced theories like principles against hitting below the belt, a 30-second count when a fighter is down, and a ring size with ropes to indicate the boundaries. These principles also called for using cotton packs on the palms of the fighters. Together with the induction of those rules, deaths became common. Ninety years after, weight classes were introduced at the London fight circuit to further reduce injuries due to unfair fights. The next leap forward came with the published rulebook called the marquess of Queensberry rules. These guidelines established that games must include ten 3-minute rounds with one-minute breaks between each. They also measure the size of boxing gloves to be nearer to the modern edition. These new gloves let for more games and a greater focus on strategic punching and protection.