Where did Boxing originate & when ??

[AntonS]

Given historians in this joint, the answer should pop up in no time

[SteveO]

Probably in ancient Greece.
It became an Olympic sport in 688 B.C.

[funso banjo baby]

various disciplines in ancient greece

wrestling, boxing, and pankratia (a mixture)

some form in rome

a little in british medieval times (henry 4th or 5th did a bit of sparring)

a crude form in germany called Worstel Const (believe it or not)

and then the first champion of England James FIgg c 1730 (bareknuckle) broughton invented the padded gloves c1750

[BoxBuzz]

I think the first well attended event was in 10,000 BC, Gronk vs Neanderthal Ned.

[The End]

Sometime near the beginning.

People have always punched eachother in the face.

[BoxBuzz]

Probably rivals the oldest profession in terms of inception.

[Collins2000]

Sometime near the beginning.

People have always punched eachother in the face.

Exactly. And others have always gathered to watch and predicted the outcome.

[BoxBuzz]

back then the only outcome was pain. Referee's were hard to find, so they just kept it up until....well until the end.

[Goodnight, Irene]

There have been conflicting accounts of the first signs of the sport's genesis emerging from Egypt & Ethiopia.

[Robinson]

In ancient Greece the concept of 'boxing' or pure striking for sport
was developed.

You have Pancration (or all powers), essentially MMA.

Boxing...( the striking elements)

Wrestling...(the grabbing, pulling and seizing elements)

ALl three over time became distinct sports in the Ancient Games.

In Rome it was further developed though gave way to the weaponry
sports.

Most civilisations had forms of wrestling, as it was less destructive
on the athletes, and was more combat effective to develop such
skills for warfare at that time.

Boxing or fist fighting as we know it rose in popularity in the
17th-18th centuries in Europe, notably in England. And then
from the 19th century...well we all should know the rest from
there.

[BoxBuzz]

In ancient Greece the concept of 'boxing' or pure striking for sport
was developed.

You have Pancration (or all powers), essentially MMA.

Boxing...( the striking elements)

Wrestling...(the grabbing, pulling and seizing elements)

ALl three over time became distinct sports in the Ancient Games.

In Rome it was further developed though gave way to the weaponry
sports.

Most civilisations had forms of wrestling, as it was less destructive
on the athletes, and was more combat effective to develop such
skills for warfare at that time.

Boxing or fist fighting as we know it rose in popularity in the
17th-18th centuries in Europe, notably in England. And then
from the 19th century...well we all should know the rest from
there.

Good input Robinson.
The internet started out as a series of cork boards located in the center of the city with post it notes attached. And boxing even predates that.

[BoxBuzz]

Here's a blurb on the subject I found. I have read similar info from various sources. But can not verify it as biblical...though the Egyptian tomb depiction I have seen on video as an interpreter expressed this interpretation.


History of boxing dates back to the ancient times, it was depicted on the walls of tombs of Beni Hasan in Egypt, from about 2000 to 1500 BC. Boxing was part of the ancient Olympics and was a brutal sport at that time, resulting in the death of one of the opponent.

During the 17th Century it was a combination of wrestling and boxing. The word "boxing" was first used in England in the 18th century. In 1719, American James Figg, an expert fencer and boxer, opened the first boxing academy in London. Figg was the first world champion in the history of the game. His pupil, Jack Broughton, was the first to devise the rules of boxing in 1743 to protect the fighters to a certain extent.

After the death of one of his opponents (George Stevenson), Jack proposed the bout to end as soon as one of the opponents fell down and unable to get up in 30 seconds. Jack also invented the first boxing gloves to protect the face and hands fro blows.

[AntonS]

I've got a book titled Western Boxing & World Wrestling - Story & Practice by John F Gilbey, which says Baghdad.

[Robinson]

Its like the 'Martial Arts'.

You have spontaneous evolution. People fight, and people
like to watch it. So each great culture develops its own
combat sports.

In Greece 'boxing' allowed kicks. So is it 'boxing' ? As an
example.

The further you go back you can find examples of men
either wrestling or striking. I personally believe that these
sports, or 'systems of combat' evolved independent
across the world and in time when you had the Great
civilisations you did have cross overs and influences.

Wrestling and striking arts were popular in Babylon and
Mesopatamia, which is modern day Iraq..so they may
very well have had a 'boxing'.

But even as late as 17th century England, and up to
James Figg, when ground fighting and kicks were allowed
do we say this is boxing ?

Because to me this sounds closer to MMA>

[enrique]

According to Grombach's "The Saga of Sock," boxing started in Ethiopa and later developed more in Egypt before making its' way to Europe.

[Brutu]

Grombach's book sounds like revisionist BS.

[BoxBuzz]

So Egypt then? Wasn't Ethiopia a part of Egypt at that juncture in time? Or did they consolidated at some later point?

[Brutu]

Kangaroos and Rabbits invented boxing hundreds of thousand years before puny humans.

[Goodnight, Irene]

It would be difficult to distinguish mere fighting from early Boxing, as well, making room for dissent in tracing its history.

[Robinson]

Terry D
thanks for that mate. I wonder why the figures have one
hand gloved ?
Art Jimmerson UFC 1 style.

[harrygreb]

i have a video of an even earlier bout; fred flintstone takes
on rocky masherano. fred, seconded by barney rubble, is getting a pasting. betty tries to stop it and just as masherano shapes up to deliver
the big KO, bam bam comes to fred's rescue with a massive swing to send rocky to sleep. apparantly the action dates from 5000 BC.

[BoxBuzz]

i have a video of an even earlier bout; fred flintstone takes
on rocky masherano. fred, seconded by barney rubble, is getting a pasting. betty tries to stop it and just as masherano shapes up to deliver
the big KO, bam bam comes to fred's rescue with a massive swing to send rocky to sleep. apparantly the action dates from 5000 BC.

5000 years AFTER Gronk VS Neanderathal Ned.....

[harrygreb]

who won that one?

[BoxBuzz]

Gronk took the series 2 out of 3.

[ben geoghegan]

I also subscribe to the Ethiopia-via-Egypt model, during Nubia's heavy influence on Egypt's south, some 9000 years ago. Anyway Grombach's book is an essential read, he traveled the world and he was a boxer himself.