Boxing is one of the most popular combat sports in the world. By diving into the most important information about boxing, we find that this exciting discipline has an important tradition and history.
The origins of this fist fight in a ring where combatants wear gloves date back to ancient cultures, such as Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Chinese.
However, the foundations of modern boxing were laid in the 18th century in England. The original information about boxing indicates that the first rules prohibited both blows to the head with a closed fist and blows below the waist.
It was not until the 19th century that boxing became a professional sport. For its part, in the 20th century, the first world championships began to be held.
As an Olympic sport, boxing was included in the San Luis Games in 1904, with seven weight categories. Currently, Olympic boxing is contested in 10 categories.
Information about boxing: how is the sport organized internationally?
In the world, there are prestigious federations in charge of organizing internal tournaments to define their champions and also for the most excited fans: the world championships, which attract large audiences and generate millionaire profits.
The four most relevant federations in the sport are the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
The available information about boxing indicates that the World Boxing Association is the oldest, but the greatest desire of boxers is to achieve a title from the World Boxing Council.
Stars such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joe Calzaghe, Tyson Fury, and Saúl Canelo Álvarez obtained at least one WBC title in their brilliant careers.
The most important titles in the world of boxing
The path to immortalizing career fighters includes the aspiration of winning the four major titles awarded by the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO.
When a fighter wins the green belt of the World Boxing Council in any weight category, he is considered the best in his respective division.
This organization also awards a diamond belt to whoever wins a historic fight, another silver belt, and an “eternal championship” to titleholders who never lost the belt or retired undefeated.
For its part, the World Boxing Association organizes two championships: a regular and a “Super.” If a boxer obtains the WBA title but wins another belt, he becomes a “Super” champion.
To be a unified champion, the fighter must win WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO titles. The undisputed champion is the one who manages to obtain the four main belts of each organization.
The great champions of world boxing
In the list of great boxers throughout history, excellent names such as the following are inscribed:
- Muhammad Ali: The information about boxing published ranks him as the best heavyweight boxer of all time. The American became a world champion three times in the category, won an Olympic gold medal, and had 56 wins (39 by knockout). In addition, he was a reliable promoter of Muslim, African American, and other minority communities’ rights.
- Sugar Ray Robinson: He was Ali’s reference fighter, and how could he not be, with his impressive professional record of 173 victories? Between 1940 and 1965, he fought 202 combats and was considered by several prestigious sports publications as the best boxer of the 20th century.
- Mike Tyson: If you look for information of boxing, his name will undoubtedly stand out. At just 20 years old, he won the world heavyweight title, becoming the youngest champion in history. He was also the first to simultaneously win the titles of the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the International Boxing Federation. Another impressive record is that he delivered a couple of knockouts with just eight blows to his rivals.
- Floyd Mayweather: He won five world titles in five different weight divisions and participated in 50 professional fights, 27 of them won by knockout, a record that makes him a legend. His highly defensive style led him to be world champion in the super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight, and super welterweight categories. It made him the fighter who earned millions of dollars for a fight.
- Manny Pacquiao: Asia’s star boxer who became an international celebrity, was a world champion in eight divisions, and entered politics.
- Canelo Álvarez: The Mexican is among the most popular boxers today, having won world titles in four different weight divisions. Until September 2023, he had recorded 58 victories and 39 knockouts.
Latin American boxing legends include the Mexican Julio César Chávez, six-time world champion in three different weight categories, who held an impressive record of 87 consecutive victories.
Critics also include the Panamanian Roberto “Mano de Piedra” Durán, considered the best lightweight of the 20th century and one of the few boxers to win fights in five different decades from 1968 to 2001.
Another name that comes up when searching for information of boxing is that of the “golden boy” Oscar de la Hoya, who beat 17 world champions and won 10 titles in six weight categories.
The best boxing matches in history
When digging into the information about boxing, there are pages reserved for the best fights in history, where skill, strength, agility, speed, and reflexes came together to offer the fan an unforgettable spectacle.
For many experts in the field, the most impressive boxing fights in history were:
- The fights between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier: The first of them (1971) was called “the fight of the century” and ended in a draw. Three years later, they met in “Thrilla in Manila,” a 15-round fight in which Ali won by technical knockout.
- The 1980 Montreal fight in which Ray “Sugar” Leonard, considered Ali’s replacement as “the face of boxing,” regained his welterweight belt in a fight against Roberto Durán.
- Tyson vs. Michael Spinks in 1988: This world heavyweight championship fight lasted only 91 seconds. With 20 hits, “Iron Mike” was the winner.
- 1997, Mike Tyson against Evander Holyfield: an intense hand-to-hand combat that ended with an unusual event: Tyson bit off half of his opponent’s ear. Holyfield was victorious due to Tyson’s disqualification.
- Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2015): The most anticipated fight of the decade brought together the two best boxers in the world for the time. A balanced fight in which Mayweather won by unanimous decision and which became the most lucrative and watched in history.
Everything you need to know about boxing is here
If you are a boxing fan or practice the sport, at BeHappyBoxing, you can find a lot of information that will be of interest to you.
Learn from the health benefits of boxing, the most appropriate clothing to practice this sport, the best footwear for boxing, and even the mistakes you should avoid. Improve your technique, resistance, and power, and fight like a champion with these recommendations.
