Boxing History

Boxing “To understand boxing, you have to understand tradition and what it takes to get inside a ring. You have to learn… what goes on inside a fighters head from the time his career begins until the day it ends. You have to grasp the reality of smashed faces and pain, and understand how they can be part of something courageous, exciting, and beautiful…” - Thomas Hauser. There is no better way to put boxing into words. Those that have participated in the sport can tell you that it is a beautiful sport. Ever since boxing first started in modern times, it has been seen as a barbaric sport by many, but only because they see the surface and do not bother to find out more about it. But as Thomas Hauser stated, “ to understand boxing you

The first weapons we ever had were our fists. From this, boxing has evolved. The earliest evidence that boxing existed dates back to the year four-thousand B.C. in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Back in ancient times. There were no gloves or protection of any kind for the fists or face. It was not until the time of the Greeks where they added soft leather straps to their fists. The Greeks were also the first to convert fist fighting into the earliest form of boxing. The people involved were mostly free men competing at their own will. Fast forward to roman times and there is evidence of gladiatorial slaves fighting in a more dangerous manner; with cesti(weighted with spikes)(Hauser,4). When the ancient roman empire fell, it dragged all of its influence down with it- including boxing. With Christianity's rise to power, boxing was transformed into a forgotten art. It was not until the sixteen hundreds that boxing resurfaced in England; otherwise known as the “cradle for modern pugilism”(Hauser,4). Those who were of superior status had their own champion fight against someone else's champion for a hefty amount of money, but after many disputes between who the winner was, it became evident that rules needed to be established to settle disputes pretty

A fighter punches to hurt and disable his opponent. Gloves are worn to protect the fist, not the brain. Some fights are such patent mismatches that the crowd is not paying to watch a competitive battle; its paying to watch [ a blood match]”(Hauser,6). Ever since C.T.E. was discovered, many have wondered if boxing should be banned due to the dangers involved. Many came to its defense saying that there are deaths in other sports as well; if there are deaths and risks in other sports, why should just boxing be banned? But why fight? Why risk death or serious mental injury? Thomas Hauser asked a couple retired boxers to find out. Some of them do it for the money, while others do it for the fame. The up and coming boxers recall going to the gym with a trail of kids behind him, offering to carry their bag; admiration twinkling in their eyes. Maybe some of like to fight because they are good at it. Everyone wants to be good at something, some people are just good at punching people. Others do it because they feel like they are someone, they matter. It is the first time that people notice them as a person and are interested in what they have to say and who they are. “It makes me feel big”, says middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo. He goes on by comparing bringing the most beautiful girl to the school dance and feeling