The History of Amateur Boxing

By: Jason Petrina



Boxing is a sport where two people face off in a square ring for a fist fight. The purpose is to knock the other boxer out, or to perform the best during the fight to win the vote of the judges. Most matches are set for a certain number of rounds, and each round lasts a certain length of time. Today, boxer’s fight with large padded boxing gloves – but this wasn’t always so.

Boxing started in ancient Greece and Rome. It was part of the holiday celebrations, and eventually became part of the ancient Olympic Games. The boxers did not use gloves, and there weren’t many rules in play. Each boxer’s fists were wrapped in a leather thong. Sometimes, the leather contained bits of metal or metal spikes. This was called a Cestus. Most boxing matches then were fought to the death.

Boxing made its way to England in the 18th century. Before this time, it wasn’t even called ‘boxing.’ It was called fighting. The English established the name for boxing to help distinguish between fighting for sport, and fighting for other reasons – such as anger. This is also when the idea for rules and regulations for boxing started. While it was commonly a man’s sport, there have been references made to women who had boxing matches in 18th century England as well.

Bare-knuckle boxing still took place during the 18th and 19th century, but it was called pugilism. Rules for pugilism were created by the Pugilistic Association in 1853, and revised again in 1866 by the Pugilistic Benevolent Society. The rules and regulations for the sport of boxing with gloves went into effect during the 19th century in London, when fights were held at the Fives Court and the Tennis Court. These were called the Queensberry rules, and they were written by John Chambers in 1867. Under the Queensberry rules, “Gentleman Jim” Corbett was the first fighter to win a world title when he defeated John L. Sullivan in 1892 at the Pelican Athletic Club in New Orleans.

Pugilism began losing popularity in 1867. The results of the fights were often suspect, and many boxers failed to even turn up for the fights. The popularity of gloved boxing seemed to be pushing the sport of Pugilism out the door. Pugilism had always been against the law anyway and only continued as long as it did because influential men enjoyed the sport. The invention of Amateur Boxing in 1867 may have contributed to the decline of Pugilism as well.

Amateur boxing did not focus on injuring the other party. Points were scored by landing punches, and the boxers wore protective gear. There were four rounds, and each round lasted for two minutes. The fights were monitored by referees that made sure each party followed the rules. The Amateur Boxing Association was formed in 1880 in Britain, and the Queensberry Amateur Boxing Championships continued until 1885. The end of the Queensberry boxing matches did not end amateur boxing, however, and by 1924, the ABA had 105 different clubs. Boxing appeared in what we now call the Olympic Games in 1904, and has been a part of the Olympics ever since, with the exception of the 1912 Olympic Games.

In 1920, in Paris, France, The International Amateur Boxing Federation was formed, but international interest was not strong. In 1946, however, the International Amateur Boxing Association was formed in London with representatives from twenty four nations. The AIBA continues to be the official world federation for amateur boxing, and the first championships were held in 1974.

The different classes of fighters, such as lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and heavyweight, were established late in the 19th century. In the 20th century, two new classes: straw weight and super heavyweight. But at that time, nobody could agree on any universally recognized definitions of the different weight classes.

Women did not actively participate in amateur boxing until the end of the 20th century. However, at the Olympic Games in 1904, there were demonstration matches that women did participate in. Most nations banned women from the sport. In 1988, the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association held the first sanctioned events for women, and the British association followed nine years later, in 1997. The first world championship for women boxers was held in 2001, and women’s boxing will become an official Olympic sport in 2012.



Jason Petrina is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com