About Boxing

The hooks, the jabs, the bobs and weaves, knockouts in the first round and bloodbaths are what make many love the sport. Legends like Joe Louis, Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson have given the sports its popularity and prestige. As the history of boxing builds on itself with such re-adaptations of the sport as mixed martial arts and Thai boxing, the historical significance of boxing must never be disregarded.

History

Historians believe that boxing has been a prominent part of human culture since 4000 B.C., starting in North Africa, Greece and Rome. Augustus and Theodoric are said to have both banned the sport, adding to its cult following. The first documented boxing match was between the Duke of Albemarle's butcher and butler in 1681. The first documented rules for boxing were written and published by "the father of boxing," Jack Boughtonis, in 1743, who felt obligated to establish some sort of guidelines after accidentally killing one of his opponents in the ring. Bare-knuckled fighting began to lose its popularity in 1866 when the Marquess of Queensberry declared a new set of rules introducing 3-minute rounds, eliminating wrestling and making gloves a mandatory accessory. In 1892, when James Corbett defeated renowned bare-knuckle boxer John Sullivan with the new mandated boxing regulations, the rules became recognized as official. A dentist from London, Jack Marles, created the first mouthguard in 1902. Jim Flynn is a legend in boxing; known as the fireman, he is the only boxer to ever knock out Jack Dempsey.

Function

The four basic punches allowed in boxing are the jab, cross, hook and uppercut. The jab punch is quick and done with the lead hand, whereas the cross is more powerful and done from the rear hand. The cross gets its name from the fact that it is usually punched with the strong hand and crosses the chest of the boxer throwing it. The hook has a semicircular motion and is done with the lead hand and directed to the side of the opponent's head. The uppercut has a vertical motion and rises with the rear hand as the knees slightly bend and the first is directed toward the torso or the chin of the opponent.

Warning

Boxing is still a dangerous sport, and proper defensive awareness is a major part of the sport. When fighting a right-handed boxer, the chin is always guarded with the left hand and never taken off guard except to deliver a counter jab. A key defensive maneuver used to evade attacks is the slip. When a boxer slips, he rolls with a punch by rotating his hips in the direction of the punch's destination; this creates the effect of the punch slipping past the defender's face. Bobbing and weaving is another popular form of defending; it involves the shifting left and right of the upper body to dodge attacks. This can be combined with parrying, the deflecting of incoming attacks by delivering sharp blows to the opponent's wrists as their punches approach you.

Types

A fighter's ability to master a certain strategy dictates how they will match up against another fighter. For example, outside fighters like Muhammad ALi, Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are known for their footwork and ability to keep a good distance from their opponents. They rely on their long jab and strong punches to gain them points and rarely win by knockouts. Inside fighters, on the other hand, work to close the gap between them and their opponents and attack with flurries and uppercuts. Some notable inside fighters are Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier and Jake LaMotta.

Potential

The popularity of boxing combined with mixed martial arts has developed into a craze for Ultimate Fighting all over the globe. Now new names like Randy Orton, Tito Ortiz and Rampage are gaining popularity and respect for a sport that many argue requires much more conditioning and athleticism. It is undeniable that this sport would not be what it is today without boxing.