Often referred to as "the sweet science," boxing is a widely watched combat sport and longtime Olympic event. Despite the sometimes brutal nature of the sport, athlete safely is an important concern at both the amateur and professional levels. As the sport of boxing has evolved with the times, so has the equipment used by the athletes.
Early Boxing
According to USA Boxing, almost every country has had its own version of boxing, including ancient Egypt and Rome. A remarkably brutal event, boxing required no safety equipment except for leather straps to protect the hands and even permitted weapons such as studded or spiked gloves. In the ancient Olympics, boxers wore no clothes and would apply oil to their skin in order to prevent their opponents from being able to grip them.
The 19th Century
The 1800s were a pivotal period in boxing where more formal rules and equipment were introduced and are still used today. At the beginning of the 1800s, boxing matches were bare-knuckled and lasted until one of the fighters was unable to continue. According to the British Boxing Hall of Fame, the publishing of the Queensbury Rules in 1867 introduced safety equipment such as padded gloves and standards for ring size.
Professional Boxing Today
Today's professional boxers are required to wear a mouthpiece to protect the teeth from being knocked out A foul protector is worn under the trunks to protect the pelvis and genitals from low blows. Today's gloves are heavily padded, the weight of which is negotiated in the fighter's contract before each bout. Glove shape may also differ, with wider gloves favoring defensive boxers and smaller, more compact gloves favoring more aggressive boxers. Boxers wear lightweight boots that provide traction on the canvas mat. Female boxers are allowed to wear a chest protector
Amateur Boxing Today
Amateur boxing differs from professional boxing in both scoring, and equipment use. The most striking difference between amateur and professional boxing equipment is the use of protective headgear for the amateurs, intended to reduce the risk of head and facial injury. Amateur gloves are white across the knuckles to aid in the judges scoring, which relies more on punch count than in professional scoring. Also important to scoring is uniform color. Amateurs must wear different color tank tops, usually red and blue, to help judges tell them apart.
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