Boxing

WHAT IS BOXING?
Boxing is a combat sport of prehistoric origin in which two participants (generally) of similar weight fight each other with their fists. There have been many informal forms of boxing throughout the centuries, since getting two people to fight with fists is in essence a fairly primitive sport, but boxing is now generally conducted in a regulated way, typically in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.

HISTORY

The records of practising this sport go back to prehistoric times. In China of the Zhou Dynasty (12th century B.C.), this combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks.

The ancient Greeks, and later the ancient Romans, had a sport called 'pugilism' (a term now often used for boxing) which resembled boxing. It contrasted with ancient Greek wrestling in that it was based on the use of fists.
In ancient Rome, the athletic form of boxing was adopted from the Greeks and remained popular throughout the Roman world. The other form of boxing was gladiatorial.
This classical sport resurfaced in England during the early 18th century in the form of bare-knuckle boxing, sometimes referred to as prizefighting. 1867 the Marquess of Queensberry rules, intended for use in both professional and amateur boxing matches, were issued, and now this code is generally accepted.

Boxing Style Terminology
Keeping in mind that no two fighters' styles are identical in boxing, some styles can be distinguished:

Out-fighter: A classic "boxer” that seeks to maintain distance between himself and his opponent, fighting with faster, longer range punches, most notably the jab. Since they rely on weaker punches such as the jab, boxers tend to win by points decisions rather than by knockout, although some out-fighters (such as Lennox Lewis) have notable knockout records.

Boxer Puncher: is an out-fighter who has heavy fire power in his punches. They use the same hit-and-move tactics of an out-fighter, but instead of winning by decision, they tend to wear their opponents down before scoring the knockout.

Brawler (Slugger) generally lacks finesse in the ring, but often makes up for it by volume of sheer punching power.

In-fighter (swarmer) stays close to an opponent, throwing intense flurries and combinations of hooks and uppercuts. A successful in-fighter often needs a good "chin" because this usually involves being hit with many jabs before they can maneuver inside where they are more effective.

Bob-and-Weave Fighter: Many short in-fighters utilize their stature to their advantage, employing a bob-and-weave defence by bending at the waist to slip underneath or to the sides of incoming punches. Unlike blocking, causing an opponent to miss a punch disrupts his balance, permits forward movement past the opponent's extended arm and keeps the hands free to counter. Some bob-and-weave fighters have been known for being notoriously hard to hit, a well-known example being Mike Tyson early in his career.

Iron Men: Iron Men was a term used in the late 1920's and 1930's for a boxer who was known to simply absorb blows and let his opponent tire himself out.