by Devon McNeely
Here are 15 interesting facts about Boxing:
1. Boxing is a one on one combat sport exclusively using punches.
2. No kicks, knee strikes, elbows, or strikes with the head are allowed. There are also no throws or takedowns, and only limited clenches.
3. Fighters compete in a square ring and use padded gloves.
4. There is amateur boxing which takes place in gyms, colleges, and at its highest levels at the Olympics. there is also professional boxing which has cash prizes.
5. Amateur boxing matches last only 3 rounds whereas professional bouts can go up to 12 rounds.
6. Boxing was a part of the Olympics in ancient Greece as early as 688 BCE.
7. Boxing became a part of the modern Olympics in 1904.
8. Boxing has been a part of every summer Olympics since 1904 except for the 1912 Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden. Boxing was illegal in Sweden at the time.
9. Women’s boxing was not added to the Olympics until 2012.
10. 4 medals are given for each weight class in the Olympics: gold for the champion, silver for the loser of the final match, and 2 bronze medals for the losers of the semi-final matches.
11. A match can end either in a KO, TKO, or it can go to the judges’ decision if the match finishes all its rounds. If a match ends before finishing all the rounds but there was no knockout it can be ruled a No Contest (NC).
12. If one fighter is knocked out or if they are knocked to the mat and unable to stand and are counted out by the referee it is considered a knockout (KO).
13. If the referee deems a fighter is unable to continue the fight or if a fighter is knocked to the mat enough times even being able to stand back up the referee can stop the match with a Technical Knockout (TKO).
14. Judges choose the winner by awarding points for each round and the fighter who wins the most rounds wins the match.
15. Most matches have 3 judges which allow for unanimous and split decisions on the winner. Rarely they can also call a match a draw.