Boxing

Boxing, sport of skilled fist-fighting. Two contestants wearing padded gloves attack each other by punching prescribed parts of the body, while avoiding or blocking their opponent's punches. Boxing contests are arranged between opponents in the same weight division or class; there are 10 classes ranging from flyweight to heavyweight. Fights take place in a square roped-off ring and consist of a number of 2- or 3-minute rounds. Scoring is usually made by a referee and 2 judges. A win can occur by a knockout, if a boxer legitimately knocks down his opponent and the man cannot regain his feet in 10 sec. A fight may also end in a technical knockout if the referee decides that a boxer is physically unfit to go on fighting. If a contest goes its full length, the contestant awarded the most points or rounds wins by a decision. Boxing can be traced back to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, and to Roman gladiatorial contests. Modern boxing has its roots in 18th-century English fairground fights between bare-knuckled pugilists, who battered each other for bets until one could no longer continue.