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| Progressing thru the Ranks |
Almost every young kid in the sport of Boxing at amateur level dreams of one day becoming a World Champion they see the million Dollar purses paid to fighters the fancy life style etc. and say to themselves yes this is what I want to be when I grow up, now there is nothing wrong with that because everybody has a dream and any young kid competing in this sport deserves the right to that dream. The reason why if you compete in Boxing there is no doubt you are of a special kind what it takes to compete in this sport supersedes any other sport thru the discipline and dedication that’s required add you’re preparation and training to fight it takes you to places inside yourself were no other sports people have to go with the sheer hard work ethic, this is what it takes to be a Boxer. This requires heart, discipline, guts, blood, sweat and tears and if you are one of the lucky ones you will be rewarded with the joy of winning a title Regional or National whichever one it will have been very hard earned and when that day comes you will reflect in time and have learned thoroughly the person whom you are who you are both inside and outside. For most normally the next quest is Olympic glory if successful and one makes it thru this then the next level is to turn to professional Boxing and fight you’re way to the top. Professional Boxing today is a multimillion-dollar sport that has successfully captured the interest of millions of people worldwide. However, boxing today is mired with stories, controversies, and contradictions and of course, enmities. Maybe the very fact that it is a brutal combat sport plays an important role in creating the hype that exists around boxing today. |
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Boxing is one of the oldest contact sports known to human history. While it cannot be said for certain whether boxing back then was a regular sport with rules and regulations, evidence that boxing existed are found in the archaeological findings of the Egyptians, Berbers, Sumerian, Greek and Mediterranean civilizations. Other evidences of boxing has found as early as 1500 BC and 3000 BC. Therefore one can safely say that the origin of boxing was around 3000 BC. |
| Differences Between Modern Boxing and Ancient Boxing |
There is a vast difference between the boxing of today and ancient boxing. Right from the way the fights took place to the attire and accessories, ancient boxing was totally different as compared to modern boxing. Ancient boxers obviously did not have access to the boxing gloves and head and ear pads that the modern boxers have today. In fact, boxing was not always called boxing. In the ancient Greek and Roman times, the sport of bashing up the teeth of your opponent during fist fighting was called pugilism. Also, the rules of ancient boxing were quite different from the boxing prevalent today. The fights were not divided into rounds and there was no defeat as such. The winner of the match would be judged only by the Knock Out and in extreme cases, death of the opponent. Ancient boxing was also quiet more brutal than modern boxing, in the sense that the boxers would usually have strips of leather around their fists and fingers, or even gloves with spikes, which would help them deliver more lethal blows than modern boxing. |
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Boxing eventually became extremely popular in all classes of the society then. So popular it became that it was officially accepted in the Olympics around 688 BC. There have also been instances where criminals and slaves used to win their freedom or prove their innocence with a boxing match. Boxing was banned thrice in history, once by Caesar Augustus, Theodosius and Theodoric the Great. Though boxing almost disappeared after the fall of the Roman Empire, there have been stray accounts of fistfights around the globe. The first complete documented boxing match in modern times was held 1681. The first boxing champion, thereafter, was James Figg, in the year 1719. Since then, boxing has become a famous sport, fueled by the vast amount of money and adulation that a boxer would get once he has walked out of the square circle as a winner. |
| The Modern Avatar of Boxing |
Modern boxing is much different than ancient boxing. At amateur level the various rules, regulations and enhancements in entertainment, sports and sports entertainment have greatly reduced the chances of grave injury to a boxer. Today, it is necessary for a boxer to wear protective head gear and gloves. Also, the rules do not allow boxing to a lethal match any longer. There are two kinds of boxing today, the amateur boxing and professional boxing. Amateur boxing is mainly found in many Community run Boxing Clubs based around the Country also at some College sports events and in the Olympics Games. Professional boxing is much more serious than amateur boxing, and many safety restrictions are removed in professional boxing. |
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As a sport, boxing has given the world great men and excellent sportsmen. These have been men who have fought for guts and glory. No history of boxing article is complete without these names. Here are some stalwarts of boxing in no particular order.
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Muhammad Ali
Possibly a walking example of why boxing is called a lethal sport. Muhammad Ali has been revered all over the world as one of the greatest boxers ever. While he was the original ‘move like a butterfly and sting like a bee, today he suffers from Parkinson’s disease and various other injuries related to his boxing career. |
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Sugar Ray Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard is now a retired professional boxer, named Fighter of the Decade for the 1980s, he is widely considered to be one of the best boxers of all time, winning world titles at multiple weights and engaging in contests with many celebrated opponents.
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Mike Tyson
As a boxer, there was no question that Mike makes this list. But, he is also one classic case of too much of exposure and adulation being bad for a person.
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