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4000 BCE
4000 BC - Boxing In North Africa
While people have took part in hand-to-hand combat since before the dawn of history, as an organized sport it may owe its origin to the ancient Greeks that accepted it as an Olympic game in BC 688. However evidence leads to the fact that boxing was prevelant in North Africa as far back as 4000 BC. -
1681 - The First Recorded Boxing Match
The first documented fight took place in 1681, Britain. It is believed that the Duke of Albemarle held a boxing match between his butcher and his butler. -
1743 - The First Rules
The first boxer to be recognised as a Heavyweight Champion was James Figg in 1719. In 1743 a later Champion, John Broughton, came up with a set of Rules standardising some practices and eliminating others, such as hitting opponents when they are down or seizing opponents by the hair. Broughton’s Rules governed boxing until 1838 when the Original London Prize Ring Rules, based on those of Broughton, were devised. -
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1800's - Agricultural Society
Rural life had a significant impact on sports in the 1800's, both negative and positive. Long, hard labour meant people spent most of their time working and didn't have enough time to take part in sport. Also people had lower life expectancies because of the hard work. On the other hand because people lived in rural areas it meant that when they did take part in sport they had plenty of space. Bare knuckle fighting, the origin of modern day boxing, was one of the most popular sports. -
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1800's - Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution encouraged people to move to urban areas in search of work in factories where the hours were more organised and the work wasn't as hard as that of the fields. This meant people had longer life expectancies and more time to take part in sport. The government also made it law that 2 hours of education was compulsory. -
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1860 - The First Public School Opened
The opening of Eton marked the opening of the first public school in the UK. Sports became more structured with certain rules being introduced to make the sports more "civilised". Rugby, rowing and cricket are examples of sports that became popular during this time. -
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Rationalisation
Although public schools were the first to bring in the idea of rationalisation in sport, it was in worldwide sport that it truly made an impact. In 1863 the Football FA was formed. In 1888 the English Football League was created. The first modern Olympics was held in 1896. In 1904 FIFA was formed. The first football game to be televised was in 1937. The formation of these leagues and promotions meant that the sport became more organised. -
1866 - New Rules
In 1866, the Marquess of Queensberry consented to a new set of rules which introduced 3 minute rounds with minute rests in-between, better quality, padded gloves, the 10 count in case of a knockdown and the banning of eye gouging and wrestling. -
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20th / 21st Century
In 1938, Fair Labour Standards reduced the working week to 40 hours. This meant people had more spare time to take part in sports. The creation of the National Lottery in 1986 meant local teams in the UK could get money to help fund their training, equipment etc. In 1999, the minimum wage was introduced. This meant people got fair pay so they didn't have to work long hours. They could take part in sport in their extra spare time. -
1904 - Boxing Becomes An Olympic Sport
Boxing has been included in every Summer Olympic Games since its introduction in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St Louis, except for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The reason for this was that Swedish law banned the sport at the time. -
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Influence Of War - The first world war: 28 July, 1914 - 11 November, 1918 The Second World War: 1 September, 1939 - 2 September, 1945
War brought many positive and negative impacts on sport. Because bombs were being dropped in towns and cities, any areas which would have been previously open enough for sports would be covered in rubble and debree. Also the fact that at any moment a bomb could drop meant that people lived in fear and were more worried about trying to survive than about sports. Also, lots of money was being spent on weapons and military equipment. This meant less money was being invested in sports. -
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Influence Of War - The first world war: 28 July, 1914 - 11 November, 1918 The Second World War: 1 September, 1939 - 2 September, 1945
Threats of bombs in cities meant many refugees moved out to the countryside. This meant that they could live without fear and could do sport in spacious fields. Also men going to war would have to be trained to be fit. This could cross over to sports.