The history of boxing is rooted in ancient times. Even in Egypt, in relief drawings, in Sumerian caves, the age of which is determined by modern scientists more than two, three millennia BC. e., found images of fistfights. During archaeological excavations in Iraq in the area of the city of Baghdad, ancient images of martial arts were also found. There is a lot of evidence that in those days fist fights existed both in Ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire.
Boxing: history of occurrence
In 668, fisticuffs were included in the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. From this moment it can be considered that this type of martial arts was recognized as a sport. Only free Greeks could be fighters. Fist fights were very popular, were considered an example of courage, strength, dexterity, speed. They were attended by poets, writers, and statesmen. For example, the well-known Pythagoras, whose achievements are considered many mathematical discoveries, was also an excellent fighter and often participated in wrestling fights.
The rules of ancient battles
The rules of battle underwent changes over time. In those days, it was believed that it was possible to beat only in the head, hands for protection were wrapped in strips of leather, fights were very fierce, until one of the wrestlers won, the number of rounds was not specified. Such battles ended with severe injuries and deaths. There is information about the legendary boxing champion of Ancient Greece of those years - Theagen. The history of boxing says that he participated in more than 2000 fights, and killed 1800 opponents.
Over the centuries, soft pieces of leather for wrapping hands have become more rigid, and then copper and iron inserts appeared in them. They were used by athletes in the Roman Empire and served not only to protect their hands, but also turned them into a formidable weapon. That is how the hands of the fighters were wrapped during the gladiatorial battles.
Boxing History
The history of modern boxing is closely linked with England. This country is the founder of this sport. The first written mention of the boxing match occurred in 1681. Clear rules were not established in those days, they were agreed in advance of the battle, a judge was appointed, the winner received a reward from the cash register of the battle. No weight and time restrictions existed. They fought with their hands without gloves, hit with their heads, shoulders, legs, elbows. In fact, it was a hand-to-hand fight.
Famous James Figg and his apprentice Jack Broughton
In 1719, James Figg and Ned Saton met in a duel. The winner is Figg. And he was awarded the champion title. An early title by that name did not exist. In Figg's time, boxing became even more popular. The champion wrote articles in the public press and talked about boxing techniques of attack and defense. He began to formulate the first rules. According to them, the fighters could finish off the enemy in the literal sense of the word, breaking their legs and arms, pressing on their eyes. Nails were stuck into the soles of martial arts shoes with which they could pierce the opponent’s foot during the battle. These were truly terrifying spectacles. Figg created the Boxing Academy in 1722, where he taught this kind of wrestling to all comers.
Jack Broughton became a student of Figg. In 1743, he set out the first rules of boxing fights. Gloves were put into use, competitions began to be held in the ring, the concept of rounds appeared.
Rules of the Marquis of Queensberry
The history of boxing has evolved over the centuries, undergoing changes. In 1867, new rules were introduced that radically changed the conduct of a boxing match. They were spelled out in the "Rules of the Marquis of Queensberry." They set strict limits on the actions of fighters, limited their actions, banned the use of boots with nails, introduced mandatory rounds with a time limit of 3 minutes, the kicks, elbows, knees, and choking were prohibited. If a boxer falls, the referee counts up to 10 seconds. If during this time the boxer did not get up - the judge can read him a defeat. A knee touching the ring or clinging to the ropes was considered the fall of the boxer. Many of these rules still lie at the heart of modern boxing.
The duel between James John Corbett and John Lawrence Sullivan in 1892 is considered the official birth date of modern professional boxing. From that moment, boxing organizations began to appear in the United States and other countries. They were renamed many times, although their essence did not change. It is currently called the World Boxing Organization.
Boxing History in Russia
In ancient Russia they loved to measure strength, there were fist fights and hand-to-hand fighting. Many Russian tales mention battles with the heroes Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich. It is a question of their remarkable strength. In real life, fights were also held, where martial artists measured strength with each other, often there were wall-to-wall fights, when several people participated on each side at once.
The Orthodox Church did not approve of this type of entertainment, and hand-to-hand fighting was often banned. Under Ivan the Terrible and later, under Peter the Great, boxing in any case penetrated the country, interaction with England and its culture could not be in vain. In 1894, Michael Kister published a book on English boxing. July 15, 1895 the first official match was held. This date is considered to be the date of birth of boxing in Russia.
The best boxers in boxing history
Experts often argue among themselves which of the boxers at what level is worth it. The history of boxing has its roots far in ancient times, so there are a lot of great fighters. Some of them have already been mentioned earlier. If we talk about modern boxing of the 20-21 centuries, then the rating of boxers according to experts is the following.
- Joe Louis American, they say about him that he is the best boxer in the world in the history of boxing. He won 72 victories, and only 3 defeats. He was considered a legendary hero and a symbol of the country.
- Some truth is inclined to argue with this opinion and argue that the best boxer is Sugar Ray Robinson. Behind him are 173 victories, 19 defeats. This fighter, in addition to having great willpower, perseverance, sang and danced very well.
- Mohammed Ali. 56 wins, 5 losses. The best boxing fights in history have often been attributed to this particular fighter. Many legendary fights have names. Mohhamed Ali, in addition to the struggle, participated in the political activities of the country, opposed the war in Vietnam. For his activities against the government he was imprisoned. But when he was released, he was again ready for battle.
- Henry Amstrong 150 victories, 21 defeats. His career began not very successfully, but then he abruptly went uphill. There was a period in his battles when he won 27 battles in a row. This series of victories is recognized as the best in the history of boxing.
- Jack Johnson. 80 wins, 13 losses. African American. He possessed a very interesting battle technique that opponents could hardly predict, as a result, over and over again, he won victories one after another for ten years. Jack Johnson was truly the greatest boxer.
- Mike Tyson. 50 wins, 6 losses. His popularity knows no bounds. This fighter even got into the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest knockout in the world. His power and speed knew no bounds. This fighter was considered truly bloodthirsty. There are a lot of incredible and real stories about him, for example, about how he bit off the ear of an adversary. Mike Tyson in his life and stole, and was in prison. His personal life also always raged. Three official marriages. Mike Tyson has children from every marriage, as well as two illegitimate children.
This list goes on and on. Many boxers struck the world with their unprecedented strength, the will to win and the greatest power.
The history of Thai boxing
There are different directions in boxing: there is professional, semi-professional, amateur, French boxing. Currently, Thai boxing is at the peak of its popularity in Russia. Although he reached our country literally at the end of the 20th century. Since then, its rapid development has begun in Russia; Thai boxing schools and the Thai Boxing Federation have appeared. In 1994, trained athletes won three first prizes at once in international competitions.
Thai boxing is also called free. It allowed blows not only with fists in gloves, but also with legs, elbows. Currently considered one of the most brutal martial arts.
The history of Thai boxing began more than two thousand years ago. The Kingdom of Thailand has repeatedly had to fight the conquerors in close combat, and the soldiers were taught the art and tactics of warfare. The first official Thai boxing battle was held in 1788.
Since 1921, stricter rules for fights were introduced. It became necessary to wear gloves, fights began to be held in special rings, since that time the battle began to have a time limit, bans in the groin were prohibited , division by weight categories appeared.
And so, from the mid-20th century, Thai boxing began to spread and gain popularity around the world. International associations have appeared. World championships on this sport, European championships have been regularly held.
Boxing is one of the most expensive sports.
The most expensive fight in boxing history took place in Las Vegas in May 2015. The two legends came together, the invincible Floyd Mayweather, an American, and Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino. The organizers profit from this event about 400-500 million dollars, the prices of some tickets reached 100-150 thousand dollars. These are approximate amounts of profit according to official figures, what kind of money was earned in this fight in reality - one can only guess. Mayower was offered $ 120 million, and a Filipino $ 80 million. Throughout the history of boxing, no one has ever been offered such huge fees. The highest paid athlete in the world did not disappoint his fans and won a landslide victory in this match. Although, according to many viewers, the fight itself was not very spectacular.
Boxing is not just a sport, for many it is all life!
Boxing for many athletes and spectators is not just a sport, but a whole life! In this martial art, athletes show the strength of their character, vitality, huge will to win.