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[[File:Thermae boxer Massimo Inv1055.jpg|thumbnail|275px|Figure 1. A Greek boxer from 300-200 BCE.]]
Boxing is one of the oldest sports known to us. From very early historical records, to its professional development in the last century, and modern prizefights, the sport has become a global phenomenon watched by millions. Although modern boxing has a lot of similarities with its ancient cousin, the mix with television, big money, and big personalities has forever changed the sport.
==Early Development==
The earliest records of boxing emerge in the ancient Near East, where ancient reliefs from the 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE show boxers fighting and possibly wearing gloves. Ancient Egypt also has depictions of what appear to be boxers. We don't know the reasoning behind these early contests but most likely they were public activities watched by townspeople.<ref>For more on the origins of boxing, see: Rodriguez, Robert G., and George Kimball. 2009. The Regulation of Boxing: A History and Comparative Analysis of Policies among American States. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, pg. 23.</ref>
[[File:Young_boxers_fresco,_Akrotiri,_Greece.jpg|thumbnail|250px|Children boxing with gloves in fresco from Akrotiri, Greece]]
More records of boxing are found in ancient Mycenaean and Minoan periods in Greece, in the 2nd millennium BCE. In the ancient Greek city-states, boxing began to emerge as a formal sport that had rules, standardized equipment, and was part of the ancient Olympic games. The <i> Iliad </i> mentions a boxing fight that was a prizefight with crowds during a funeral being held. However, it is not clear that this was typical. The sport may have emerged as a way for men to prepare themselves for combat and prove their ability to fight.<ref>For more on how boxing emerged in the ancient Greek world, see: Newby, Zahra. 2006. Athletics in the Ancient World. Classical World Series. Bristol: Bristol Classical, pg. 197.</ref> In the ancient Olympics, there are champions we know of and some of the rules are known to us. For instance, boxers could not hold each other, a person wins if the other was knocked out or gave up, and there appears to be no rounds. Boxers also had certain equipment, such as straps and gloves similar to those used today (Figure 1).
==The Rise of Professional Boxing==
[[File:Sullivan+vs+Corbette+Newspaper+Clipping.png|thumbnail|300px|Figure 2. Newspapers became influential in promoting boxing and crowning its champions.]]
By 1867, the so-called Marquess of Queensberry rules now regulated rounds to be fought, how long the rounds were to last (3 minutes), rest periods between rounds (1 minute), the size of the ring (24 square feet, or slightly bigger than today's rings), the ten second count if a fighter was knocked down, and that gloves can be used to block blows by an opponent. Weight classes were also introduced, which had a heavy, middle, and light weight fighters. Gloves were now regulated as well, where the gloves were to be essentially large bloated mittens. The rule regarding how gloves could be used to block blows was a critical one in how boxing was to develop.<ref>For more on the development of these rules, see: Vann, Mickey, and Gilbert Odd. 2010. <i>Boxing in the United Kingdom: Marquess of Queensberry Rules, National Sporting Club</i>. British Boxing Board of Control. General Publishing.</ref> This now made boxing less of a "slugging" match, where opponents would often simply hit each other until the other was knocked out, to more of a strategic game that utilized the hands as well as the feet in evading and tiring the opponent. The use of gloves for defense also gave rise to what would become the boxing stance that most boxers today take, where they hold the gloves close to the face rather than keeping their hands low.
==Recent Developments==
==References==
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