Boxing History
We've been talking about boxing lately... a lot!
So, I thought it'd be interesting to talk about the origins of boxing - and no, you and your younger sibling did not invent the left hook. Fighting for sport has dated back to ancient Greece, Rome, and ancient India. I also have no doubt that certain forager tribes settles debates by sport fighting in the Hunter-Gatherer times. But, modern day boxing can be traced back to London, England. They were the ones who started the "prize ring rules" which were set rules for fighting in a ring in the late 1600s.
But, by the 19th century during the reign of the Abolitionists and their prohibition, prizefighting was outlawed in most of England and lots of the US. It became an underground sport where men could gamble and be rowdy.
Modern day boxing loosely follows the original prize ring rules of London, England. But now, boxers are making millions off of fights and fighting for gigantic crowds
It is interesting to think about how society glamorizes violence when it comes to sports like boxing and how society values sports in general. Though society's sports obsessions can sometimes seem like a silly reality in certain instances, athletes have incredible potential to make political and social differences outside of the ring (or field or court). It has been through boxing that many social conditions have been challenged on a national and even international stage, as we have seen through studying the roles of Jack Johnson and Joe Louis. Because sports are so important to people, it is often when politics and social issues make their way into sports that people begin to find them important too.
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