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→The Rise of Professional Boxing
==The Rise of Professional Boxing==
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, that 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. 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.
Despite these new rules, boxing was still not held in great esteem and some places even banned it. Bare-knuckle fights were still common and safety was not of high standard. Prizefighting was also often banned, as it was associated with gambling and other activities seen as vices by many. This only changed in the late 19th century, when in 1891 the London National Sporting Club augmented the Queensberry rules by now formalizing how scoring would take place and placed more importance on the officials and referees. This emphasis was to give it more safety but to also formalize fighting so that one can win a fight without having to knockout the opponent. This now opened the door for boxing to become professional, as it was more acceptable for society to have fights that were tightly regulated. Soon, newspapers took an interest in advertising who they considered "champions." In the late 19th century and earl 20th century, champions were considered to be those who simply had a consensus around them. The newspapers began to become influential in "crowning" these champions through their string of victories.
==Recent Developments==
