Origins of the championship belt?

[Tinnie]

I've just been wondering lately on the origins of the championship belt. Looking through many sports it is usually some sort of trophy that is passed on to a person/team to acknowledge them as champion. Then you come to wrestling and boxing, the to sports i tend affiliate with the championship belt.

Was either of these disciplines the first to start using the belt as an acknowledgement of success?

Is there any significant symbolism as to why they chose a belt as opposed to a trophy?

Been looking around and havent found too much yet. Just been reading a little about the Lonsdale Belt, thought i'd see if you guys had any info to add at this stage.

Thx

[leatherlunch]

I wanted to ask this same question but found this topic with a search. Maybe five years later someone can shed some light on this?

Why a belt? Why not a sash, or a septre, or medal, or fur coat or whatever?? The belt seems so arbitrary to me. I'd love to know how it was settled on as the grand prize for the sport.

[Redback Rasta]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Championship_belt

The first belt given as a prize for accomplishments within the ring was presented in 1810 by King George III to bare-knuckle boxer Tom Cribb, after he defeated Tom Molineaux, an American former slave.

[leatherlunch]

Yeah, I came across that same wiki article soon after my post above. It mentions what the first recorded instance of it is but not why, nor what other trophies were popular, nor why the belt stuck as the standard prize for a champion fighter.