Boxing is a martial art and fighting sport. A boxing match takes place in a ring, where two fighters exchange punches for a certain period of time while wearing safety gear such as mouthguards, gloves, and hand wraps. Most people associate boxing with Western boxing, which uses just hands. However, it changed differently throughout the world's many regions and civilizations.
Although the precise beginnings of boxing remain unidentified, Sumerian objects discovered in modern-day Iraq provide some of the earliest known evidence, pointing to the third millennium BCE. In 688 BC, boxing made its debut at the initial Olympic Games. Boxers bound their hands and arms with flexible leather thongs to protect themselves.
Boxing Olympics History
In 1904, boxing debuted as a men's competition at the Summer Olympics. Only boxers from North America fought for this event due to the few participants at the time. Boxing has been competed at every Summer Olympic Games since 1908, except in the 1912 Summer Olympics, when martial arts weren't allowed by Swedish law at the time.
Women's boxing competitions were included in the program for the first time at the Summer Olympics 2012. Professional boxers were formerly only permitted to compete in Olympic competitions as independent or state-sponsored boxers, but in 2016, the IBA changed this.
Boxing Olympics Rules
- From 1984 to 2012, male boxers had to wear skull protection, but the requirement was dropped for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Female boxers still have to wear head protectors.
- Every fight lasts three rounds, lasting three minutes for men and four rounds, lasting two minutes for women.
- Each judge selects a winner after each round using the judging standards, and the winner is given 10 points for that round.
- The loser of the round may receive seven, nine, or more points depending on how well they performed in that round.
- To choose the ultimate winner, each judge totals the round scores after the fight.
- An unintentional low hit can give a boxer five minutes to recover; if they cannot, they could be declared knocked out.
- When the fight ended without a knockout, neither boxer was formally declared the winner and the battle ended with both fighters still standing.
Boxing Terminologies
|
Term |
Explanation |
|
Bell |
A kind of bell used to announce the beginning and conclusion of each round. |
|
Break |
A boxing referee will use this signal to end the action and split the fighters. |
|
Clinch |
A phrase used to define the act of two fighters holding onto one another in order to block a trade or slow down the action. |
|
Apron |
The portion of a boxing ring canvas that is on the ground and goes beyond the ring ropes. |
|
Below the Belt |
An attack that goes high and lands below the boxer's trunk waistline. |
|
Canvas |
The all-purpose word for ring flooring, however could not be composed totally of this stuff. |
|
Cross |
A strong punch crosses the boxer's body and is delivered with the backhand. |
|
Foul |
To go against a boxing regulation, which, if repeated, may result in point losses. |
|
Hook |
This punch comes in a circular pattern, with the dominant or front hand used for delivery. |