Boxing : Know Your Sport

The boxing competition is run as a single-elimination tournament, with the winner of each match advancing to the next round.

A match lasts three rounds, each of three minutes. Five judges sit at the side of the ring. They watch the bout and individually award points for what they deem to be successful hits. In addition, the referee can end a match if the difference between the fighters is such that the match should not continue or if a doctor indicates the match should be stopped.

Tokyo Olympics :Mary Kom & Manpreet India’s flag-bearers

A match can also end if a competitor receives three warnings (penalties) and is disqualified or if a competitor is unable to resume a fight within ten seconds, in which case they are considered knocked out.

 Boxing has been part of the Olympics right from 1904 and leaving out the 1912 Olympics, it has been part of every edition of the Olympics. When it started in 1904, boxing was competed only by men across 7 categories. Boxing has evolved over the years at Olympics, with women’s boxing also making their debut in the 2012 London Olympics. In 2020 Tokyo Olympics, both men and women will compete across 13 weight categories (8 men and 5 women).

Overview:Boxing

Two athletes square up to each other in a ring, and victory is gained by the athlete who more successfully lands blows to their opponent’s head and torso. This is a simple summary of a sport that featured at the ancient Olympic Games in the 7th century BC, when opponents fought with strips of leather wrapped around their fists.

At that time, boxing matches would continue ‘until the opponent concedes or loses consciousness’ and at various times the sport was banned for being excessively brutal. In Great Britain during the 19th century, boxing was formalised with rules that included the wearing of gloves. Since then, boxers have become renowned for their sporting demeanour, with opponents showing immense respect for each other’s courage and physical commitment.

Boxing has featured at all modern Olympic Games since St. Louis 1904, with the exception of Stockholm 1912. Women’s events were a popular addition to the programme at London 2012. At Tokyo 2020, women will compete for gold in five weight divisions, from fly (51kg) to middle (75kg), and men in eight divisions, from fly (51kg) to super heavy (91+ kg).

The sport is hugely popular worldwide and many boxers who competed at the Olympic Games have gone on to gain global fame — none more so than the late Muhammad Ali (United States). Ali won gold in the light-heavyweight division at the Rome 1960 Games under the name Cassius Clay and became one of the most recognised and respected men on the planet.

Until Rio 2016, only amateurs were permitted to participate in the Olympic Games. This restriction is now no longer the case.

Hit and avoid being hit: Boxing

An Olympic Boxing match for both men and women lasts three rounds, each of three minutes. Five judges sit at the side of the ring. They watch the bout and individually award points for what they deem to be successful hits.

In addition, the referee can end a match if the difference between the fighters is such that the match should not continue or if a doctor indicates the match should be stopped.

A match can also end if a competitor receives three warnings (penalties) and is disqualified or if a competitor is unable to resume a fight within ten seconds, in which case they are considered knocked out (‘KO’).

Meet Indian Wrestlers for Tokyo Olympics 2020

Although the aim and rules of boxing are simple, the fighting styles of its competitors are wide-ranging and distinctive. This is what makes boxing such a fascinating and exciting sport to watch.

A heavy-hitting boxer seeking to pile on heavy punches may be matched against an opponent with a sound defence who will wait for their rival to tire before striking decisively. Some will want to fight at close-quarters, others from distance. All athletes must take care to pace themselves, and some will demonstrate superb footwork to move around the ring and hit hard if their opponent’s defences fall.