Modern boxing is a combart sport that sees two competitors throw punches at each other for a certain amount of time inside of a boxing ring. In any form of organised boxing the boxers will typically wear protective gloves. Amateur boxing is a sport that is present in both the Olympic Games and at the Commonwealth Games as well as being a common fixture for most international games. As with many sports, boxing has its own World Championships that sees competitors from numerous countries compete against one another in various weight classes.
The origins of hand to hand combat are speculated to date back to before humans developed writing, but the earliest concrete evidence of fist fighting as a sport can be traced back to the ancient Middle East in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The earliest evidence so far uncovered for the existence of boxing rules can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where boxing was established as an Olympic game in 688 BC, making it one of the oldest Olympic sports in existence.
The more modern form of boxing evolved from 16th and 18th century prize fights in Great Britain, which eventually lead to the birth of modern boxing with the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, introduced in 1867.
Whilst the techniques used in boxing has evolved through study and new training methodologies have come into existence, throughout almost of boxing’s history there have been three main types of punches. The jab is a straight punch that is favoured for its speed, the cross is similar to a jab but with the rear hand, the hook is a semi-circular punch that delivers a lot of power.
