The History of Boxing

According to Fight Club America, Boxing has been a staple of the Olympics since 686 BC, but it has been around way before then. Starting out as a way to settle disputes, it then became an organized sport.

A lot of people believe that boxing originated in what is now known as Ethiopia dating back before 1500 BC appearing in hieroglyphics in the Middle East and Mediterranean. Back then, the sport took place in an open area where everyone gathered around to watch the fight. The winner usually took home “gold, livestock, or other trophies” and of course bragging rights. Once the Romans took hold of the sport, they decided to wrap the fighters hands and part of their forearms, in leather straps which were also branded with copper or iron, and athletes, quite literally, fought to the death. Once the Roman Empire fell, so did the sport of boxing, before it was later picked back up in London years later.

Once the sport became popular in London, there became rules that were established for each athlete to follow. Some of these rules are still used today. In 1743, Jack Brownton, wrote the very first Code of Rules. The Code of Rules would go on to be the foundation of the sport, but also continue to be developed as time went on.

The 19th Century is when we first saw the establishment of weight classes which is still honored today. There are also rules in regards to how the fight ends (scoring, DQ, or TKO), weight of the padded boxing gloves, and more.

Fundamental Movements of Boxing

An important part of boxing is being able to have a strong defense. A good defense consists of the ability to take and avoid punches from your opponent and stay active throughout the match. There are also four main punches that need to be mastered before you step in the ring with another boxer.

1. Jab: a quick punch that can be delivered by either hand but usually comes from the dominant one.
2. Hook: rotation of the body comes from the inside and bended at the elbow and wrist
3. Uppercut: upward punch which gets delivered to your opponent’s chin
4. Cross: usually attacks the opponents upper body and quickly followed by a second punch

Popular Boxing Gyms

West Coast

California is known for a lot of popular boxing gyms such as:

Ultimate Fitness: Sacramento, California

Alliance Training Center: Chula Vista, California

Mid-West

Title Boxing Club: Omaha, Nebraska

Authentic Boxing: Kansas City, Missouri 

East Coast

Beast Boxing: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Joltin’ Jabs: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Visiting any of these gyms soon? Be sure to post a selfie post-workout and tag us on social!