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| Know
your Sports - Boxing |
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Boxing
is a combat sport in which two opponents hit each other with
only their fists while remaining within the confines of a square
area bounded by ropes, called “the ring”. Pugilism, an early
form of boxing, first appeared as a Olympic sport at the 23rd
Games, in 668 B.C. The pugilists, the forefathers of modern
day boxers, limited their movements to throwing and blocking
punches. Fierce and violent boxing first appeared in England
in the 18th century and, beginning in 1857, was governed by
a set of rules formulated by the Marquis of Queensberry. These
rules form the basis of English boxing as we know it. In North
America, boxing gained official recognition in 1888, and became
an Olympic sport at the St. Louis Games in 1904. In 1994, women's
boxing, which had formerly been prohibited, was recognized by
the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), an organization
founded in 1946 and made up of over 180 national federations.
Since the early 1990s, women's boxing, amateur and professional,
has enjoyed a steadily growing popularity. |
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How
a fight is organized: |
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Before
every fight, the fighters must weigh in and undergo a medical
examination. A boxing match is divided into rounds, separated
by 1 minute of rest periods. Professional matches consist of
anywhere from 4 to 12 rounds of 3-minutes each. In Olympic boxing,
there are only 3 or 4 rounds of 2-minutes each. After each round,
the boxers are awarded points on the basis of punches landed,
on technique, and on adherence to the rules. Unless a match
ends before the time is up, the winner is determined on points.
This is known as winning by a decision. A fight can also be
won before the end by a knockout (which occurs when a fighter
is knocked down and cannot get up within 10 seconds), by the
referee stopping the fight, by disqualification, or by either
opponent conceding the fight. Only punches “above the belt”
are allowed, excluding the back, the nape of the neck, and the
back of the head. |
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The belt is an imaginary line just above the
hips. Punches mush be delivered with the part of the glove covering
the metacarpus. In Olympic boxing, this area of the glove is
white in colour. |
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Why
Is 26th December Known As 'Boxing Day'?
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Boxing Day is a public holiday observed
in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. In many European
countries it is also a holiday, called St. Stephen's Day or
the Second Day of Christmas. Strictly defined as a first weekday
after Christmas. There is much dispute over the true origins
of Boxing Day, but one common story of the holiday's origins
is that servants and tradesmen received Christmas gifts from
their employers on the first weekday after Christmas, the day
after the family celebrations. These were generally called their
“Christmas boxes.” Another story is that this is the day that
priests broke open the collection boxes and distributed the
money to the poor.
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| ALI
gets the highest Civilian Award |
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Muhammad
Ali, his hands shaking and eyes reflecting the White House chandeliers,
accepted the nation's highest civilian award from President
George W. Bush. Bush called him “The Greatest of All Time” and
'a man of peace', and tied the Presidential Medal of Freedom
around the former heavyweight champion's neck. It was Ali's
first public appearance in months, six days after undergoing
back surgery in Atlanta. Wobbly from the effects of Parkinson's
disease, the 63-year-old former heavy weight boxing champion
at times had to applaud with his left hand clenched in a fist. |
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