Olympic Boxing History Article
Boxing During The Popular 1920’s Era
Boxing is and has always been a very physical game because essentially, two people are punching each other with the intention of possibly knocking someone out so that become unconscious. The boxers wear padded gloves and protection, but the numerous severe blows can cause injuries and possibly death. Great boxers are agile, quick on their feet, strong and must be in excellent physical condition.
Essentially boxers fight as amateurs or professionals. As an amateur, boxers cannot accept money. Many amateurs box because they enjoy the sport and most typically, box for an organization.
The sport of boxing was played over a thousand years ago. Today, the popularity of the sport has declined and only major headline boxers are followed as well as the Olympic games.
Boxing is one of the oldest sports. In the 1860’s, there was a change from using bare fists to using gloves. They also included three minute rounds with a rest period. A British sportsman, Marquess of Queensberry sponsored the new rules and they were used in tournaments.
During the 1900’s the sport was illegal in the United States. In 1920, a law was passed to allow the sport of prize fighting. The sport began to grow in popularity. The first promoter of the sport was George Rickard. The first championship match was between Jack Dempsey and George Carpenter. Dempsey won the fight and remained champion until 1926.
The ‘million dollar game’ was between Jack Dempsey and gene Tunney. It was a record because over 100,000 people paid $2500.00 or more to watch the fight.
Jack Dempsey was a colorful character. He was loud and attention seeking and made numerous claims, similar to Mohammed Ali that he was the worlds greatest fighter. He had is share of barroom brawls also, as he was known to fight inside and outside of the ring.
The 1920’s were known as the golden age of boxing. Joe Louis was the reigning king of boxing and he held the heavy weight title for the longest period of time during that era.
In the mid 1900’s, the great fighters were Archie Moore and Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano won a total of 49 fights.
In the 1950’s, people were interested in watching the games on television than actually watching fights. The small boxing clubs were not as popular anymore and had to close.
In the United States the sport is regulated by the World Boxing Association and the World Boxing Council. Across the world, the International Boxing Federation regulated matches which are played internationally.
Amateur boxing is popular in boys clubs and sport camps. The sport has most recently gained popularity in women, who enjoy the sport because of the amount of physical conditioning needed to excel in the sport.
