Boxing
The ancient Greeks provide us our first historical records of boxing as a formal sport; they codified a set of rules and staged tournaments with professionals. The birth hour of boxing as a sport may be its acceptance as an Olympic game as early as 688 BC. Although gloves were used in practice, in competition fighters wrapped their hands in strips of hardened leather which protected the fist and caused unpleasant injuries for the opponent. Contact: The Amateur Boxing Association of England Ltd, The English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Coleridge Road, Sheffield S9 5DA Website: www.abae.co.uk