Before Conor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao, and even Muhammad Ali – how did boxing begin?
When and why exactly did grown men start getting prizes and prestige for beating each other up inside a ring – and how long did it take for women to get in on the razzle?
Boxing – or as it was once known, pugilism or prizefighting – is one of the oldest sports in the world, but it remains one of the most popular to this day. Just look at the global success of Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather, to Asia’s own Manny Pacquiao – all of whom are household names. Remember, the sport has surely inspired more movies in Hollywood than any other (think Rocky, Raging Bull and Million Dollar Baby).
“Boxing is a very passionate sport,” says Jay Lau, Hong Kong boxing promoter, coach and owner of the city’s DEF Boxing gym. “You see two guys in the boxing ring throwing punches at each other – every second is exciting. Boxing gained popularity worldwide with Muhammad Ali rising up and movies like Rocky with Sylvester Stallone. In the 1990s, people started boxing to keep fit, and it’s just become more and more popular.”
So, what is it about two men (or women) in a ring that makes boxing so magnetic, both in pop culture and in sport? To many, boxing is the perfect metaphor for life, that represents proving one’s self-worth, overcoming adversity and rising to the top. The sport itself, which is highly demanding on a physical level, teaches discipline, respect and emotional resilience, with many fighters entering the ring to find out exactly what they’re made of.
The history of boxing
Humankind has been throwing punches at each other since the dawn of time, with some of the earliest depictions of boxing found on a Sumerian relief in Iraq in the 3rd millennium BC. Middle Eastern and Egyptian reliefs also showed boxing contests complete with spectators, with fighters bare-fisted or with their hands bound for protection. The earliest evidence of boxing with gloves appeared on Minoan Crete (around 1500-1400BC).
As a sport, boxing was officially introduced at the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece in 688BC. Back then, boxers fought until one of them admitted defeat, or simply could not go on. Without any set rounds or weight categories, larger men usually had an advantage.
In Ancient Rome, boxing was popular as a spectator sport and fighters used harder leather to wrap their hands and wrists for protection. The Romans even incorporated metal studs into their wraps (called cestus) to inflict injury, and boxing fights usually ended in death. Due to their gruesome nature, boxing was abolished in AD393 during the Roman gladiator period.
Bare-knuckle boxing
Boxing later resurfaced in 16th-century London in the form of bare-knuckle boxing, otherwise known as prizefighting, which saw two men fighting each other with their bare hands. The first recorded boxing match took place on January 6, 1681, when Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, pitted his butler and butcher against each other (with the butcher winning the match).