Few People Know These Crazy Boxing History Facts

Boxing is one of those things that have been around for so long that its presence seems like a given. Naturally, that means that there is a lot of crazy boxing history that has gone down, which can make for entertaining reading.

It Existed in Sumerian Times

We don't know when boxing started up because we have a very incomplete picture of the past at best. However, we know that it existed by Sumerian times because there is a Sumerian relief from the third millennium BC showing an early version of boxing. This is notable because the Sumerians are considered to be one of the first civilizations of the world.

Onomastus of Smyrna Was the First Olympic Winner in Boxing

The first Olympic Game is supposed to have been held in 776 BC. Boxing was added to said competition at the 23rd Olympic Games in 688 BC. Onomastus of Smyrna is said to have been the first Olympic winner in boxing. Supposedly, he was the one who wrote the rules of ancient Greek boxing as well. The whole thing is very amusing because Onomastus managed to live up to his name, which can be interpreted to mean "famous."

The Romans Didn't Bother With Weight Classes

The Romans didn't bother with dividing different fighters into different weight classes. There are numerous depictions of smaller boxers fighting bigger boxers, with the idea that superior technique could make up for the physical gap. In practice, smaller boxers seemed to have fallen before their bigger counterparts more often than not in real matches.