Interesting Boxing Facts

The Official Name Of Boxing

Believe it or not, the official name of boxing is not really boxing—it’s pugilism. Pugilism means “practice and skills of fighting with fists.”

The Most Heavyweight Title Defenses

Joseph Louis Barrow, aka “Brown Bomber,” was a professional boxer who fought from 1934-1951. Barrow was the world heavyweight champion for over ten years, from 1937-1949, defending his title in 26 fights. Today, Barrow is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

There Are Two Forms Of Boxing

Did you know that boxing is fought in two forms, the amateurs, and professionals? Amateur boxing, which became an Olympic sport in 1908, is made up of three to four rounds, which is very different than the twelve rounds in professional boxing. Scores are accumulated in amateur boxing on the numbers of clean blows struck, notwithstanding the impact. Fighters are dressed in protective headgear to reduce the risk of a head injury, and blows below the belt, kidney, and anywhere behind the head are strictly forbidden.

On the other hand, professional boxing clears the presence of any form of protective gear. Punches are only forbidden below the belt, giving boxers the freedom to fight to the extreme.

The Most Expensive Fight

The most expensive fight that has ever taken place in the history of boxing was between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 3, 2015. Floyd won by unanimous decision. His fee was a whopping $120 million while Manny received $80 million for the fight.

44 Knockouts In A Row

The holder of this incredibly unique record is boxer Lamar Clark. In total, the Clark had 47 fights and suffered only three defeats. The reigning champion spent his last fight on April 19, 1691, against the legendary Muhammad Ali. The latter knocked out Clark in the second round, leaving him with a broken nose.

The World’s Youngest Boxing Champion

New York City-born fighter Wilfred Benitez was considered an artist in the boxing ring, using each inch of the canvas to create fistic masterpieces. He broke headlines at the ripe age of 17 when he quickly became the youngest world champion in boxing history, beating the legendary Kid Pambele (Antonio Cervantes) as a 5-1 underdog for the WBA super lightweight title in March 1976. From there, Benitez went on to claim three world titles in three different divisions, and by the age of 21, he had 37 victories under his belt.

The First Winner In Olympic Boxing Of Ancient Greece

Onomastus—which means famous—has lived up to his name, being the first historic Olympic victor in the sport of boxing at the 23rd Olympiad, 688 BCE.

The Shortest Boxing Match

It took fighters Michael Collins and Pat Brownson four seconds to identify who was the fittest. Collins won, making this the shortest boxing match of all time. In fact, it was so short that this fight can now be found in the book of Guinness World Records.

The Invention Of Mouth guards

A dentist in London named Jack Marles invented the very first mouth guard for boxers in 1902. The mouth guards were designed to be worn during training sessions as a way to protect the teeth of fighters. Welterweight fighter Ted “Kid” Lewis was the first boxer who used one of these protective mouth guards in the ring in 1913. From then on, mouth guards became pretty popular and gained huge acclaim in boxing.

The NBA Was Established In 1927

In 1927, the National Boxing Association (NBA) was established as the fair governing body that looked into the popular sport and its success. The primary purpose of the NBA was to arrange championships among the best talents and look after the ethics and popularity of boxing. Today, there are three world-acclaimed boxing organizations: the IBF, WBA, and WBC.

George Foreman Profited More From His Grills Than From His Boxing Career

George Foreman was a very famous man as a boxer as well as a two-time heavyweight champion. However, his grill was much more memorable and sold over 100 million units in its first fifteen years of release. According to reports, Salton, Inc. paid Forman $138 million to obtain the right to the use of his name. Before that, he was paid 40 percent of the profits of every grill sold. He earned a whopping $4.5 million a month just in payouts at the grill’s peak.

Although Forman never gave official confirmation of the amounts he earned from endorsements on the grill, it’s estimated that he made over $200 million, which is a sum that grosses much higher than his total career earnings as a famous boxer.

Ali Raymi Holds The Most First-Round Knockouts

Late Ali Raymi, who served in the Yemen military, fought a total of 25 fights and didn’t lose a single one. 22 of all 25 wins were by knockout, and all 22 of those knockouts happened within the first round of the bout.

Man Vs. Bear: Official Boxing Match In 1949

Our last interesting fact on the list takes us back to 1949, for the first—and only—official boxing match between Guis Waldorf and a bear. The bear won with a killer big right on Waldorf in the first round and was given a belt for the match.