Boxing has been around for a great many years, producing legends, crowd favourites and athletes that have faded into obscurity since most people can care to remember. However, it didn’t simply appear in the form that fans and athletes know today. Boxing has evolved and changed with the times, which is one of the reasons why it has retained its popularity and relevance over the years.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most significant transformations that the sport has undergone:

An Ancient Form

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that boxing originated as a sport well over 2000 years ago, with etchings and carvings created by the Mesopotamian nations that depict athletes with wrapped fists taking part in bouts.

The 16^th Century

Boxing as a sport became official in 16^th century England and mostly took on a bare-knuckle format, with James Figg winning the first ever title in1719. In 1743, rules and regulations started to become more concrete to protect the safety of the fighters.

The first regulation passed was that if a boxer didn’t arise after 30 seconds following a knock-out, the match was over.

Rules regulating no headbutting, biting, gouging, kicking and hitting when your opponent is down, also came around during this time.

The Marquess of Queensbury

Eventually new rules would be developed by the Marquess of Queensbury that would dictate the need to fight in a ring, set aside 3-minute rounds with rests between them, reducing the knockout count to 10 seconds and prohibiting grappling.

During this time the use of gloves was also established, and it is often still hotly debated as to whether or not this made the sport safer, or if by allowing athletes to put more behind their punches, actually made it more deadly.

And Everything else, as they say, is history.

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