Boxing History

1920s Boxing Jack Dempsey History of Boxing in the 1920’s One could say that the 1920’s signaled when boxing emerged from the stone ages. The sport’s popularity skyrocketed—creating genuine boxing superstars who transcended their sport. The best boxers were among the most famous people in the world and the biggest matches became mega-events. The growing sophistication of motion film cameras helped bring footage to millions, as radios helped spread the good word. This signified the beginning of the golden ages of boxing. Where Boxing Stood in the 1920’s To understand the boom in boxing during this period, one should picture the idea of the roaring twenties—a festive time where money was in lush supply. The United States was coming off a momentous victory in World War I. Boxing was able to attract the entertainment dollar with legendary fighters and great fights. Not all was peaches during this period. First of all, it is impossible to imagine how many future champions wer...

Early 1900s Boxing Boxing History at the Turn of the 20th Century: History of Boxing from 1900-1920 Before boxing reached its pinnacle of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, the sport began to take firm root in the public consciousness at the turn of the 20th century. The two decades that followed saw fighters including Jack Johnson, Harry Greb, Sam Langford and Benny Leonard plying their trade, amongst others. As world champions became recognized, stars were born, while racism and cultural feuds were inherent in the game at every level. Where Boxing Stood from 1900-1920 Boxing at the turn of the 20th century was still coming into its own in terms of developing into the modern sport we know today, with its established rules. During this time, fights that did not end in knockout typically had no official winner or loser. Instead, these fights had “newspaper decisions” where the reporters and journalists came to their own conclusions about which fighter had won the day, and ...

The Top 50 Pound-for-Pound Boxers of All Time Kevin McRae December 9, 2012 Any ranking of the best fighters in boxing history is subjective. It is prone to overrating, underrating and disagreements of all sorts. This will be no different. Picking the best athletes in any sport is a daunting task. It's even more so in an individual sport like boxing.  Do you favor wins and losses? World championships? Quality of opposition?  Or maybe it's longevity, or mainstream appeal? It's a measure of a fighter at his peak and how he compared to and fared against the other great fighters of his era. No matter how you slice it, no two people will ever have the same list.  But that's the beauty of boxing.  With that, we present one man's view of the best 50 fighters in the history of boxing. 50. Salvador Sanchez 1 of 50 Record: 44-1-1, 32 KO Years Active: 1975-1982 Championships: WBC Featherweight If not for his tragic death in an automobile accident in 1982, many boxing obser...

A History of Bare-Knuckles Boxing Brutal Form of Boxing Thrived In the 19th Century Bare knuckles boxing match, circa 1860s. Rischgitz/Getty Images For much of the 19th century boxing was not considered a legitimate sport in America. It was generally outlawed as a notorious crime, and boxing matches would be raided by the police and the participants arrested. Despite the official prohibitions against boxing matches, boxers often met in celebrated fights which drew large crowds and were openly reported in newspapers. And in the era before padded gloves became standard gear, the action in the bare-knuckle era was particularly brutal. Did You Know? Boxing was generally illegal in 19th century America, with fights held in secret locations. Bare-knuckle bouts were brutal, and could last for hours. Fighters could become famous, and some, peculiarly, picked up a political following. One bare-knuckles champion went on to serve in Congress. ...

Boxing: A Manly History of the Sweet Science of Bruising “Boxing is the sport to which all other sports aspire.” -George Foreman All sports have the potential of becoming about much more than athletics, transforming into symbols of a culture’s and country’s mood, insecurities, conflicts, and hopes. But perhaps no sport lends itself to this kind of transposition more than boxing. For the purity of boxing gives it the nature of a blank canvas; there is no playing field or special equipment; the rules are few and easy to understand. There is but two men, facing off with nowhere to go, with only their fists and their determination to decide their fate. Thus boxing easily becomes a metaphor for debates over our values: good vs. evil, immigrant vs. nativist, bravado vs. humility, intellect vs brute strength. The idea boxing has most often been over-layed with is manliness. Joyce Carol Oates (boxing may be a manly sport, but some of the best books on it have been w...