Fighting with fists come naturally to human beings. It was the ancient Greeks who were able to establish a sport out of the natural act. Rules eventually evolved and staged the tournaments with two professionals playing.
The official birth of boxing was in 688 B.C. when it was played at the Olympics. It was called Pygme or Pygmachia then. The players trained on korykos or punching bags and wear himantes or leather straps. The straps did not cover the whole hand but left the fingers exposed and free. It was believed that the Spartans were the first to experience boxing to prepare them to battle using swords and shields.
Boxing mainly focuses on striking an opponent. It is also known as pugilism, coined by the Greeks and later on the Romans, or fist fighting. During this time, there were no weight classes, no separating of fights in rounds, and no time limits. The fight would only end if one of the fighters is unable to get up, gave up the fight, or died during the battle. Gloves were only used during practices. In actual fights, players wrap their hands with strips of hardened leather. The material protects their fists but causes unlikely injuries on the opponent.
Traditional boxing practiced two forms: the athletic form and gladiatorial form. Fighters were mostly criminals and slaves who would fight to gain their freedom. However, there were also free men who fought to gain honor. Then the elite started to join the fighting sport making it sophisticated rather than survival.
As years passed, ancient boxing started to evolve in Europe and Great Britain to become the modern boxing recognized today. There are numerous boxing styles practiced in the world. Generally, it is considered the “English Boxing” though in France it is called “French Boxing”. Others call it “American Boxing” or “Western Boxing”.
ref.: www.sportspundit.com
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