Boxing had originated long before the birth of Christ. Falling all the way back to 4000 BC boxing has sculpted some kind of record into the history books. It is around this time that the Egyptian hieroglyphics suggest that combat was being practiced between soldiers("Boxing Through the Ages", 2001). As time evolved so did the sport of fighting and the records that recorded it. Ancient Greece included a form of boxing in the first Olympian Games. It was a popular amateur competitive sport

Boxing originated as a method of 'combat readiness' in Ancient Greece and has grown to a spectacle so large it has made Heavy Weight Champion Lenox Lewis the most richest athlete in Britain("Lennox Lewis", 2001). It's popularity streams from society's struggle of man vs. man and the need for man or woman to release his or her anger and pent up aggression through some sort of violent form. It is popular because of it's violence and spectacle and society's love for both violence and show. Two men physically beating each other in a fight to knock the other out has grown because of it's sheer barbaricness. In a society that is so controlled and limited by its laws and rules we look towards a sport like boxing that is still barbaric and still everything we are unable to be. It's a release for us of aggression and anger. This is why boxing today is so popular, because it is a release of oneself and a show all in one.

with two men wearing cestus, a metal-studded leather hand covering which they used in the attempt to kill their opponents. This was sometime used as a gladiatorial spectacle.("Boxing History",1998) By 800 BC, Greece had began their own form of fighting called pugilism and pancratium, practiced by the nobility to demonstrate their physical fitness. It was a mixture of both wrestling and fist-fighting allowing for the use of both means to help render your opponent helpless. This form of pugilism was part of the competition held at the 23rd Olympic games for the first time. With the fall of the Roman Empire, boxing's popularity decreased.("Boxing History",1998) It was not until the 18th century that boxing began to gain momentum in popularity. It was in 1719 that James Figg's was recognized as the first heavyweight champion but it was not until 1743 that Jack Broughton generated the rules that would govern boxing. He created a set of rules that would standardize some practices in boxing and eliminate some others like punching below the belt, hitting opponents while they are down, and grabbing at their hair. Classified as the "London Prize Rules", Broughton's rules governed bare-knuckle boxing until 1838 and is known as the foundation of the "noble art of self defence." It was the 19th century that boxing become revolutionized. In 1857 a new set of rules called the Queensberry rules were drafted by a boxer named John Graham Chambers under the support of John Sholto Douglas. The new rules introduced a regulation for padded gloves prohibiting bare fisted fighting. The rules also prohibited wrestling, hugging, hitting opponents when they are helpless, and fighting to the finish. Three minute rounds were introduced with a 30 second allowance for a downed man to regain his composure. A new system of scoring and different weight divisions as well as a standardized ring measuring 24 ft on a side were also introduced. The rules quickly refaced the popular image boxing had of being a savage ruthless sport. With the new face of boxing it was ready to be recognized and in 1888 United States did just that by officially recognizing the sport of boxing. It was the first year that the U.S. National Championships was held and resulted in being the longest running national championship of all amateur sports. In 1889 American John L. Sullivan won the last bare-knuckle heavyweight

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