The king of combat sports is boxing, and we’re excited to bring you this piece on interesting boxing facts, trivia, and history of boxing.
Boxing is a sport for both amateurs and professionals. It involves attacking and defending with the fists with the sole goal to defeat opponents by knockouts in which opposition fighters are incapable of fighting or accumulated points over a predetermined period. Boxing bouts generally spans 3-12 rounds. Each round lasts for three minutes.
We have compiled some historical, amazing as well as hilarious facts about boxing in the span of the sport’s development.
The Top-10 Boxing Facts You Need To Know
1. There are two forms of boxing – amateur and professional
Boxing is fought in two forms, the amateurs, and professionals. The Olympic movement saw amateur boxing development, which is more safety precautionary compared to professional boxing.
Amateur boxing, which became an Olympic sport in 1908, consists of three to four rounds, unlike professional boxing, which is 12 rounds. Scores are accumulated in amateur boxing on numbers of clean blows struck, notwithstanding the impact. Boxers are dressed in protective headgear to reduce the risk of injuries. Blows below the belt, kidney, and anywhere behind the head are forbidden.
However, professional boxing clears the presence of any form of protective gear. Strikes are only forbidden below the belt in pro boxing. It gives freedom to fight to the extreme.
2. Onomastus Smyrnaios is the first winner in Olympic boxing of ancient Greek
Onomastus, which means famous, has lived to his name being the first historical Olympic Victor in the sport of boxing at the 23rd Olympiad, 688 BCE. He as well is credited with developing the rules of Ancient Greek boxing. As long as the boxing exists as a sport, his name will endlessly echo throughout eternity.
3. Archie Moore holds the record for most knockouts during a career — a staggering 131
Archie Moore, a professional American boxer wasn’t just the king of knockouts, he was the longest-reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time. He is one of few fighters to enjoy a long time career in the sports, fighting competitive boxing from 1935-1963. Moore fought a total of 219 fights and won 186.
One hundred and thirty-one of his career 186 victories were by knockouts, the highest recorded in the sport. He was named amongst the Ring Magazines “100 greatest punchers of all time” and is rated the second greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. Moore trained boxing legend Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
4. The boxer with the most wins and loss is Len Wickwar
Leonard Wickwar was a British boxer who recorded the most wins in the sport. He fought between 1928-1947, majorly in the lightweight category. He fought a total of 470 bouts and won 340, 93 by knockouts. He also has the most loss at 127.
5. George Foreman financially benefited more from his grills than from his boxing career
George Foreman was a famous man as a boxer and a two-time heavyweight champion. However, his grill was much more memorable and sold over 100 million units in its first 15 years of release. Foreman didn’t give official confirmation of the amounts he earned from endorsement on the grill.
According to reports gathered, Salton, Inc. paid him $138 million to obtain the right to the use of his name. Before that, he was paid 40 percent of the profits of every grill sold. He earned $4.5 million a month in payouts at the grill’s peak. Foreman is estimated to have made over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that grosses higher than his total career earnings as a boxer.
6. Ali Raymi holds most first-round knockouts in boxing
Late Ali Raymi, who served in Yemen military, fought a total of 25 fights and lost none. 22 of all 25 wins were by knockout. All 22 knockout happened within the first round of the bout.
7. The most heavyweight title defenses are 25 by Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow, nicknamed “Brown Bomber,” was an American professional boxer who fought from 1934–1951. He was the world heavyweight champion for over ten years, from 1937–1949. Barrow defended his title in 26 fights and has clinched victory in a record 25 consecutive title defenses. Brown Bomber is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
8. The youngest boxer to win a title is Wilfred Benitez at 17
On March 6, 1976, at age 17, with the majority of his high school classmates in attendance, Benitez won his first of three career world titles by a fifteen round split decision in his favor. The American-born Puerto Rican was a skilled, aggressive fighter in his prime with intriguing defensive abilities.
9. 1949 official boxing match between a bear and a man
In 1949, an official boxing match between, Guis Waldorf and a bear took place. The bear wore boxing gloves in its claws and a muzzle in its mouths to prevent bitting. The match was under thorough surveillance from securities, judges, and various professionals. Man and bear exchanged brutal punches in the first round until the bear sneaked in a killer big right on Waldorf, which sent him temporarily off life gird. The bear won a belt for its victory.
10. Death in the ring: Sugar Ray Robinson had a dream that he killed his opponent
September 1947, Sugar Ray Robinson initially backed out of a fight citing he had a dream that he killed his opponents and even went to a priest and minister for spiritual consultation. However, he was assured it was a dream and convinced to fight. Came fight day, Robinson effected, in reality, his dream, crashing Doyle in the eight-round with a brutal left hook that sent Doyle to the world of unconsciousness. He never regained consciousness and passed away. He was just 22. A tearful and remorseful Robinson later informed the press if his earlier premonition of the fight. Upon discovery Doyle has been pushing himself to fight, in order to buy his mother a house, Robinson gave all earnings of his next four fight to Doyle’s mother.
History of Boxing
In a formal Olympic event, dated far back as 688 BCE, Boxing first appeared. However, the combat of fist-fighting certainly had been in existence before 688 BCE—origin of fist-fighting links to humanity’s prehistory. The earliest patent recorded evidence for boxing comes in the 3rd millennium BCE Sumerian relief carvings. 1350 BCE Egyptian relief sculpture shows an image illustration of boxers and spectators. The few existing Middle Eastern and Egyptian depicted evidence of boxing are of bare-fisted contests.
Earliest recorded evidence of gloves usage or hands covering in boxing is from a 1500 BCE carving from the Minoan Crete region. It shows boxers with a worn helmet and a stiff plate strapped to the fist.
Rules
Evidence of rules in the sport can trace back to ancient Greece. Contest then had not evolved into rounds division or weight categories. Boxers keep boxing until either fighter admits defeat with a signified raised-finger or was unable to continue.
However, the mid-1800s saw the development of ruleset that governs and guides today’s boxing. John Chambers developed the famous Marquess of Queensberry.
Modern Boxing
Fast-forward to today, the modem sports of boxing came into birth from various illegal venues and prizefighting. Modern boxing is another multibillion-dollar sports with several professional boxers earning much more than just living from the game. It has seen the rise and fall of notable names. Boxing has served as a means of escape from the trenches of poverty for many skilled in the art.
Above all, the sport has gained global recognition and widespread acceptance, with thousands of die-hard fans celebrating the art.
Please feel free to share your thoughts about our boxing facts, trivia, and boxing history, in our comments section below.