BOXING HISTORY: Quick Guide
Bare Knuckle Boxing
By Pj De Best
Boxing, Prize Fighting, Sweet Science or Pugilism; the name for the sport may differ depending on who you talk to but they all represent the sport thats history is longer than most people care to know.
The origins of boxing date back thousands of years before the birth of Christ, where the ancient sport we now call boxing was practiced throughout the globe; from the Middle East to Europe to Asia.
There have been countless ancient paintings found throughout the world showing men battling with their fists, giving a glimpse to all that prize fighting has been around for a very long time.
The ancient Greeks added much to boxing history, helping the growth of boxing by inducting it as an Olympic sport in 688BC. The ancient Roman civilization also had a hand in the growth of the sport by using boxing for entertainment and sporting purposes regularly filling up large coliseums to watch slaves battle each other for their freedom.
The ancient Romans popularized the sport in Europe which England took grasp of. Bare knuckle fighting in England was fast becoming a favorite past time after the first bare knuckle fight was recorded in the 18th century between a Footman and a Butcher.
England modernized the sport of boxing by giving pugilism its first set of boxing rules in 1743. Boxing history shows that English Champion Jack Broughton was the man to create the rules after the death of his opponent George Stevenson from the unregulated fights. In 1838, Jack Broughton’s rules were replaced by The London Prize Rules.
Boxing experienced a decline in popularity as it faced a period of constant fight fixing and corruption through the influence of gambling and often fights were broken up by police as the sport became illegal. Still, the sport survived by promoters and fighters gathering for organized fights at illegal gambling venues only to be broken up by police due to the rowdy crowds.
In 1867, John Graham Chambers of the London Amateur Athletic Club put forth a new set of rules which were backed by John Sholto Douglas who was the Marquess of Queensberry. The rules were simply known as the Marquess of Queensberry Rules which consisted of 12 rules in all. The new set of rules helped modernize the sport of boxing and kept it in with the times. They eventually replaced the London Prize Rules altogether as it’s popularity soared.
The brutality of bare knuckle fighting was getting less tolerated so these new rules made sense if the sport of boxing was to survive and step into a new era. With all this in mind, the London Prize Rules champion John L. Sullivan opened the door to the new era of boxing by adopting the Marquess of Queensberry Rules after he was constantly arrested and fined for defending his London Prize Rules championship which were illegal bare knuckle fights.
The last bare knuckle fight was in 1889 between John L. Sullivan and Jack Kilrain, a fight were both men ended up arrested. Sullivan had had enough of being arrested and fined so he challenged James Corbett in New Orleans, 1892, for the first heavyweight championship under the new rules. Corbett won the fight and the London Prize Rules disappeared.
By the 1900’s, The United States of America overtook England to become the worlds leading boxing nation. New York legalized boxing in the 1920’s and the rest of the country followed. Many sanctioning and governing bodies have added to the sport of boxing since then by implementing their own rules and restrictions which brings us forth to our current day in modern prize fighting.
Related posts:
- THE WORST CHINS IN BOXING HISTORY BY SOME OF THE “BEST” BOXERS THE WORST CHINS IN BOXING HISTORY BY SOME OF...
- The Pacquiao-Hatton Shootout By Pj De Best THE PACQUIAO-HATTON SHOOTOUT When Filipino fighting...
- Heavyweight Boxing Division The heavyweight boxing division is for fighters that weigh between...
- Hugh Hefner Loves Boxing By Pj De Best Even Playboy magazines owner Hugh Hefner...
- Famous Boxing Fights By Pj De Best There have been many famous boxing...
