Martial Arts Register

The origins of boxing can be traced back to when a person first lifted a fist against another in play. An ancient king of Greece, Theseus, is credited with introducing the sport as a form of entertainment, some 500-600 years BC.
The ancient Greeks believed fist fighting was one of the games played by the gods on Olympus, and so it became part of the Olympic games from 688 BC (the 23rd Olympiad). Homer even has a reference to organised boxing in the Iliad.

Before long, fighters evolved ways to protect themselves, and so prolong bouts. The first gloves appeared during this era, when soft leather thongs (himantes) were introduced to protect the hands from grazes and fractures. Whilst the rules during this time were few and far between, a collection of honour codes restricted the boxers from grappling or wrestling. During this time, the entire body was considered fair game - no 5 minute breaks for blows landing south of the border! The concept of the ring was born at this time, since 'rings' of spectators would circle the boxers - ring craft, however, was virtually non-existent.

With the rise of the Roman Empire, boxing greatly increased in popularity. In keeping with Rome's notorious lust for bloodshed, however, the traditional himantes was replaced by the far more brutal caestus comprising of a hand binding covered with stones or, even worse, sharpened studs of metal! Boxing skills became less and less important, since fighters would actually be punished for adopting any form of defence, and the only factor of any concern was in killing your opponent before he killed you. This lawless, brutal form of boxing was practise, to the death, by gladiators until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, where the sport all but died.

The rebirth of pugilism - When Londoner James Figg opened up his amphitheatre in 1719, the beast that is boxing was awakened from a millennia-long slumber. Unfortunately, its lack of rules ensured that the Roman tradition of brutality in the sport remained. All fights were fought entirely bare-fisted, and eye-gouging & 'purring' (kicking a man whilst he's down) were commonplace. Inevitably, it took a tragedy to bring about change. In 1741, Jack Broughton dealt such a beating to his opponent, George Stevenson that the man died of the resulting injuries. Broughton was so devastated that he drew up a basic collection of rules that became the accepted standard.

Principle points are as follows:

Fighters must meet in the ring centre after each knockdown.
A fighter is allowed 30 seconds to recover when knocked down.
Wrestling below the belt would result in disqualification.
Hitting a fallen opponent would result in disqualification.

Whilst certainly an encouraging beginning, these rules were far from extensive, since bouts could be unlimited in rounds, & rounds were distinguished only by the falling of either man. Un-gentlemanly tactics were also abundant, with hair pulling, toe stamping, gouging, wrestling, strangling, and even biting being employed on occasion.

Broughton did, however, make other valuable contributions to the sport of boxing, such as the introduction of the first boxing gloves, known as 'mufflers', for sparring, and the formulation of a number of rudimentary skills and tactics. Pugilists were taught footwork, parrying, blocking, and jabbing, and so the average fight changed from a basic slugfest into a more scientific battle of will.

1814 saw the formation of the Pugilistic Club (based at 'Gentleman' John Jackson's house and influential in sponsoring and organising bouts), in an attempt to stamp out the corruption in the sport. An improved set of rules, however, did not arrive until the death of another fighter, 'Brighton Bill', in 1838 - these being known as the London Prize Ring Rules. Subsequent revisions were required to stamp out un-gentlemanly conduct such as head butting and throttling, and the London rules also gave birth to 2 famous sayings - since a fighter succeeding in "toeing the line" when returning from a knockdown was deemed "up to scratch".

Boxing matches during this period were almost exclusively held out in the more remote regions of the countryside, as the illustration above shows, since the sport was actively outlawed. A bizarre legal loophole actually allows boxing matches to be staged in Britain, despite the fact that the sport has never been officially legalized, since they can be deemed as "an exhibition of skill".
The sport of boxing as we know it today was ushered into existence in 1866, with the drafting of a new, vastly improved set of rules by Arthur Chambers, Lord Lonsdale, and the Marquis of Queensberry. The Queensberry rules revolutionised boxing, with the introduction of rules governing the time allowed in and between rounds (3 minutes and 1 minute respectively), and the mandatory use of boxing gloves. Subsequent revisions limited the number of rounds to 20, set weights for gloves (originally 6 ounces), and allowed the provision of a scoring system, but these rules did not catch on immediately - bare-knuckle boxing remained popular until the turn of the 20th century.

The concept of fairness became more prevalent, with the original 3 weight divisions (heavy = 156lb+, middle = 156lb-, light = 133lb-) gradually being extended to 9 by 1910. As of the last count, there are no less than 17 widely recognised weight divisions existing today, and these are detailed below:

Heavyweight unlimited.
Cruiserweight up to 190lb.
Light-heavyweight up to 175lb.
Super-middleweight up to 168lb.
Middleweight up to 160lb.
Junior-middleweight (WBC Super-welterweight) up to 154lb.
Welterweight up to 147lb.
Junior-welterweight (WBC Super-lightweight) up to 140lb.
Lightweight up to 135lb.
Junior-lightweight (WBC Super-featherweight) up to 130lb.
Featherweight up to 126lb.
Junior-featherweight (WBC Super-bantamweight) up to 122lb.
Bantamweight up to 118lb.
Junior-bantamweight (WBC Super-flyweight) up to 115lb.
Flyweight> up to 112lb.
Junior-flyweight (WBC light-flyweight) up to 108lb.
Straw-weight (WBA & IBF Mini-flyweight) up to 105lb

Unfortunately, with the upsurge of interest in boxing since the 1900's, a number of regulatory bodies began to crop up.
There are 3 main regulatory bodies exist (WBC, WBA, IBF), with a number of lesser bodies snapping at their feet (WBO, WBU, etc.. !).

The modern era has seen the explosion of boxing as a leading media event, despite having suffered from countless and continuous slurs to its reputation, and it is certainly not unusual for modern boxers to enjoy the same celebrity status as movie and music stars. This is particularly true of heavyweight champions, most of who have hailed from the United States - Muhammed Ali has, at the height of his fame, the most recognisable face on the planet! Boxing can also provide troubled youths with a way out of the harsh surroundings of their formative years - Former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world, Mike Tyson, grew up in the Brownsville ghetto, in the Bronx, New York's most notorious suburb, and was the highest paid sports star of all time, earning a reputed half a billion dollars.

Among the best heavyweights of the modern era have been Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Mike Tyson. Outstanding champions in the middling weights have included Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, whilst the lighter weights have given us such superstars as Julio Caesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Aaron Pryor, and Alexis Arguello.