Boxing: Then and now

Boxing is the original combat sport. It featured in the ancient Olympic Games, when opponents would fight each other with strips of leather wrapped around their fists.

After centuries of bloody – and sometimes deadly – bareknuckle fights in England, the sport was eventually regulated by the Queensbury rules, created by the Marquess of Queensbury in 1867.

Today’s best boxers fight their way to the top through a combination of strength and skill.

How to play – and win

Boxing at the Olympic Games is governed by the sport’s amateur body, AIBA. It has different rules and equipment from Professional Boxing.

Olympic boxers compete in 11 weight classes, from light flyweight (for boxers under 48 kilograms) to super heavyweight (over 91 kilograms).

Fights take place over three three-minute rounds, and boxers score points for every punch they land on their opponent’s head or upper body.

Boxing at the Games

Although it was one of the most popular events at the ancient Olympic Games, organisers of the first modern Games thought Boxing was too dangerous to be included in the programme.

It was eventually brought in by public demand, and has been part of every Games since Antwerp 1920.

The Games has given fight fans their first chance to see many great boxers, including the young Cassius Clay Junior, later known as Muhammad Ali.

Facts about Boxing

• An Olympic Boxing glove weighs 284 grams (10 ounces).
• The ‘ring’ in which a fight takes place is actually a square. Each boxer is given a corner, labelled red or blue. This is also the colour of the clothing they must wear to fight.
• In Ancient Rome, boxers used spike-studded gloves to take part in gladiatorial contests that usually ended in death.
• The great boxers of Ancient Greece were famed for their defensive, as opposed to aggressive, Boxing style – known as ‘atravmatistos’ or ‘uninjured’ fighting.
• Boxing featured at the St Louis 1904 Olympic Games because of its local popularity in the southern United States. Women competed as well as men – the only time they have ever taken part in Boxing at the Games.

Jargon buster

• Throw in the towel: The traditional way to concede defeat; a boxer's assistant will throw a towel into the ring when he feels his man can no longer continue.
• Southpaw: A left-handed boxer.
• Belt: An imaginary line around a boxer’s midriff, below which his opponent is not allowed to hit.
• Jab: A straight, arm-length punch thrown from the boxer’s leading hand.
• Uppercut: An upwards-thrown punch designed to hit an opponent’s chin.
• Hook: A sideways-thrown punch in which the boxer swings his arm from the shoulder with the elbow bent.

Get involved

Boxing is a great way to get fit and learn a new set of skills. Find your nearest club or gym through your Home Nation’s federation (see 'related websites').