History of Boxing

Lots of people know of boxing but not much about its history so I'm going to go through some of its really early history and modernisation.

Early History

The earliest example of boxing we know of comes from a sumerian relian relief from the third millenium bc. This shows boxing to be an extremely old sport with the earliest evidence of fist fighting with gloves found on a minoan relief which is between 1500 and 900 years bc. Boxing was also a popular spectator sport in Roman times that became deadlier as time went on. Gladiators used leather thongs around their hands for protection which led to harder leather and eventually the addition of metal studs which became known as the cestus which in turn led to a much deadlier weapon called the myrmex. The roman form of boxing was often a fight to the death between fighters and slaves were often put against each other in a circle on the ground. This is where the term ring came from.

Modernisation

Through the late 19th century, the martial art of boxing or prize fighting was a sport of dubious legitimacy. As it was outlawed in England boxing was mainly done in gambling venues and broken up by the police. In a court case it was described as an assault occasioning actual bodily harm despite the consent of both players. Throughout the twentieth century boxers would struggle for legitimacy and were aided by promoters such as Tex Rickard and the popularity of great champions until it became the sport it is today.

History of Muay thai

Muay Thai has a quite a lot of practitioners but not many people know about the history of this combat sport so im going to go through some of it.

Origin

Muay Thai originated in the year 1560 and was made famous by King Naresuan. During the battles of burmese and Siam, he was captured and as the Burmese knew of his hand to hand skill he was offered the chance to fight for his freedom which he took and won. This fighting style was known as siamese style boxing later to be known as muay thai.

Early uses of Muay Thai
 

Muay thai's early uses included a practical fighting technique in warfare as well as a sport to be fought in front of spectators who would watch for entertainment. These contests gradually became a part of local festivals and celebrations especially those held in temples. Eventually the fighters started wearing hemp around their hands and forearms.

Modernisation

Muay Thai became a popular sport in the 1900s with the use of ropes being banned after a death occurred in the ring. In 1993 the international federation of muaythai amateur was inaugurated. It became the governing body of amatuer muay thai consisting of 128 member countries.