The origins of boxing

The origins of boxing are unknown. Although the Greek poet Homer describes a two-person fight in the Iliad, it is not certain that such bouts took place as early as the epic poem’s setting around 1800 BC. Along with running, wrestling, and the use of weapons, boxing was part poet of a young man’s education in ancient Greece. Records indicate the sport was part of the ancient Olympics Games of 688 BC. Plato mentions boxing in both The Republic and The Dialogue Gorgias, and the poet Pindar elegized the Olympic boxing champion of 474 BC.

The Romans also embraced boxing, turning the sport into a brutal gladiatorial spectacle. Boxers of this time covered their hands and arms with a leather thong called a cestus, sometimes studding it with metal spikes. The combatants often fought until one was fatally injured.