social history of boxing
A Brief Examination into the Social History of Boxing The sport of boxing is one of the oldest in the world. ... The rules of boxing seem very simple on the surface. ... Boxing is popular throughout many countries in the world and has been for a very long time. ... So why does boxing endure? Could it be that boxing fans have a fascination with seeing two athletes at the top of their physical strength pulverise each other? Or is it that boxing is more sophisticated than it appears to be. This paper will examine the social history of boxing with special attention devoted to boxing’s early history and appeal, its racist undertones, and its ever-present corruption. The origins of boxing are nearly impossible to trace. ... Boxing was originally nothing more than bare fist fighting between two willing and sometimes unwilling competitors. ... If we define boxing in terms of two people fighting with their fists, given that people have fought in this way as long as history has been recorded, then we may conclude that alongside running, boxing is the most ancient of all sports (Sugden, 1996). The major contributions to the evolution of boxing were made by three very different civilizations. ... Although the Greeks added boxing to the Olympic games in 688BC, boxing had become pretty well established among the Greeks before that time. In one form of Greek Boxing, the two combatants sat on stones facing each other, and simply pounded away until one of them was knocked out. ... Boxing in the Olympics was not quite that brutal. ... , the first boxing ring was developed. ... The Romans form of boxing was obviously more brutal. ... After the Roman age, the sport of boxing went through a long period of hibernation. Boxing made its return to the forefront of sport in England during the 17th century. It is during this period where boxing got its name. ... England’s contribution to boxing can really be traced to one man, John ‘Jack’ Broughton. It is Broughton who shaped boxing into what we see today. ... He always believed that the sport needed a new level of control in order to protect the health of the boxers as well as to turn boxing into a respectable sport. ... (Brailsford, 1988) In those days, boxing had problems controlling the spectators. To help stop this, Broughton changed the boxing ring from round to square, enclosed it with ropes, and raised the entire structure six feet off the ground. Broughton also created the first boxing glove, but they were used only for sparring and general training. In 1743, at the age of 40, Broughton laid down the basic rules of boxing. ... (Hickok, 2004) Jack Broughton is regarded as the father of English boxing. ... Following the notion of social Darwinism, success in the ring, particularly if it led to the heavyweight championship of the world came to symbolise not only individual achievement, but also racial and national superiority.