Gloves

The odd thing is that boxing gloves have not always been used in competition. Originally fights were done in what is termed as “bare knuckle”. But, gloves did however exist before the Queensbury rules, although they where only used in training and not in matches. Eventually, gloves became required accessories in competition in the late nineteenth century. But they bear little resemblance to the gloves worn now, as modern boxing gloves are much heavier than those worn by early twentieth-century fighters. The main reason for a fighter to wear gloves is to spread the impact across the hand. This reduces the chance of severe injury. Not only does it protect the hands but also it reduces any shock delivered to the wrists, elbows and shoulder joints. Gloves have become more heavily padded in recent years, and the padding materials themselves have grown more resilient. However, many experts insist that this simply allows fighters to punch harder and inflict more damage. Where you will find the different weight of glove coming into effect is that it will usually be an 8 or 10-ounce glove for a competition and 16 ounce for sparring and training. The reason for the 16oz is so that there are no real serious injuries as the athlete prepares for a fight.

Boxing itself is a combat sport that originated in England. The object of the competition is very simple. Basically it is two participants of similar weight fighting each other with their fists in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. The object being to knock the opponent out. Heavyweight champion Jack Broughton introduced the first boxing rules, called the London Prize Ring rules, in 1743 to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. In those days, unlike today’s competitions, there were no weight categories and fights were not separated into rounds,. Even the fight itself had no time limit and only ended in a knockout, or a fighter abandoning the fight. Unfortunately though, sometimes the fight would end at the death of one of the fighters. Although much has been done to improve safety, tragedies can still occur in the ring. Eventually, in 1867, John Chambers drafted the Marquis of Queensbury rules. These were put together for amateur championships held at Lillie Bridge in London for Lightweights, Middleweights and Heavyweights. The first world heavyweight champion under the Queensbury Rules was "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, who defeated John L. Sullivan.

So although much has been done to improve safety over the years boxing remains a dangerous sport. However the advent of the boxing glove has done much to reduce the danger for the competitors, especially with the heavier gloves being available for training purposes; and also for amateur competitions, where the fighters also wear head guards.