Boxing - Past and Present

Boxing is one of most popular sports today in North America and continues to grow in popularity. Most countries of the world are familiar with boxing, with many of these countries having a multitude of boxing organizations within its borders.

The sport of boxing has been around for many more years than most people realize it has. Ancient historians have traced the beginnings of boxing back to 4000 BC during times when the empires of Rome and Greece were engaged in combat. Historians have found records that indicate that boxing, surely known by another name in ancient times, was fought with much more brutality than it is today.

In fact there is some evidence showing that participants often fought until one opponent was dead. Spectators encouraged the fighters to use their fists and metal spikes. Today boxing is safer as stringent regulations have been established to control the sport and protect the fighters.

Both amateur and professional boxing requires the use of gloves, without the spikes, as well as a computer generated score that determines the final outcome of the match. Head gear specifically designed for the sport of boxing is also a safety requirement. Boxing, however, remains one of the bare bones hand-to-hand combats that still exist today.

Boxers nowadays are given special skilled training which makes the match between two worth opponents an exciting one to watch. They both battle it out for the trophy.

Boxing became popular in North America in the middle of the 19th century. As soon as Americans saw this sport its popularity sky-rocketed. During International competitions, the Americans generally win matches and score the most knockouts.

Not only men are adept at the sport of boxing, women have stepped center ring and have become as experienced as the men. Women have yet to find a place in the Olympics, but this can't be far behind.

In most cases professional boxers began as amateurs. Some well known names who have engaged in this sport are George Forman, Leon Spinks, Muhammad Ali, Floyd Patterson and Oscar de la Hoya.

Boxing is boxing whether it is professional or amateur. The main difference lies in the duration of the matches and the number of rounds. While an amateur match consists of 3 rounds a professional match has at least 12 rounds.

Boxing winners are announced by the judges who make the final decision as to how many points each competitor has. A knockout, however, will be an automatic win for the boxer who throws the final punch, providing that his opponent is unable to get off the mat after ten seconds.

Age doesn't matter in boxing. People often learn the techniques and training in order to have a different kind of exercise and to work off daily stresses that come with life.

Boxing continues to be a popular sport to watch, especially by men, who eagerly watch the ring from the safety of their armchairs.

--- Fred Tresdale is the chief editor for FT Boxing, the best place on the internet for information about boxing.