An Overview of Boxing
Boxing is a popular sport in many countries where the boxing matches are watched and participate as a hobby by people of all ages and from various social statuses. Boxing is a competitive combat sport where two people, typically wearing protective boxing gloves and other protective gear like mouthpieces and handwraps, throw punches on each other in a well padded boxing ring for a set amount of time. In most cases, the match is won by whoever throws the most successful punches to the other within the prescribed timeframe. Boxers usually utilize different kinds of striking styles such as power punches, soft punches and combinations. When boxer’s muscles are pumped full of oxygen and blood, it causes their punches to be more powerful and faster thus it is the reason why they are able to beat opponents easily.
Boxing can be divided into two divisions or disciplines, professional boxing versus amateur boxing and cruiserweight versus heavyweight boxing. Professional boxing matches are televised and the winner earns the big cash prize while the amateur fighters usually compete to win the competitions for promotional and exhibition prizes. The latter is where the fights are usually fought in just a round or even a minute round to decide who the real talent is. Professional boxers train and spar as much as possible before actual competitions. The amateur boxing competitions normally last just seconds but are scheduled throughout the day.
Boxing is the only sport that doesn’t require any type of equipment except for the proper boxing gloves which can be either purchased or designed to your specifications. Hand wraps and mouth guards are also worn during actual boxing matches to protect the fighter’s mouth and teeth from injury. The rules of boxing have evolved over the years as different boxing organizations attempt to dominate the sport by coming up with a different set of rules that are intended to make the matches more exciting and challenging for the viewers. One of the most significant changes was the introduction of a point system wherein fighters would be able to attack their opponents with increased force. Initially, the fight would last three rounds but eventually it became four rounds to increase the intensity of the fight.
Today, boxing has grown to an extent where there are national level championships and world level championships. Amateur boxing tournaments are also common especially when a boxer is competing to be compared to the best fighters around the world. This is usually done through amateur boxing tournaments wherein the winner gets to participate and fight against the champions and the defeated fighters are allowed to fight against the champions once they become a world champion. When a fighter becomes a world champion, he is allowed to defend his title four times in his career. However, it is not uncommon for them to defend their title more than four times because of the fact that some of the current champions are known to fight frequently.
Sweet science is the term used for the boxing techniques that include elbows, knees, shins, punches, hand grips, etc. Boxing is not a game where you can use your intellect alone; rather, it requires expertise from all parts of your body including the muscles, the ligaments, joints, tendons, etc. For instance, a boxer who wants to throw a punch at his opponents will need to have strong hands, thighs, abdominals and shoulders as well as the ability to rotate the trunk. All these aspects are essential to keep your body intact while you are punching at your opponent and that is why most of the boxers use various kinds of arm and leg exercises in order to improve their flexibility and to keep their body in good shape. Most of the champions use a lot of strength on their punches and this is what makes them able to throw heavy punches which can damage the opponent’s body and head.
Since boxing has grown in popularity over the years, several organizations have come up to promote it and to give boxing competitions. There are many weight classes in boxing; however, the most famous ones are the light heavyweight, light welterweight and super lightweight divisions. The light heavyweight division is for fighters who can take just a couple of punches and are light enough to be brought down in a matter of seconds; the light welterweight division is for fighters who can absorb large amounts of punches but they are not too tough; and the super lightweight division is for fighters who can fight and win with one punch.