History of Female Boxing

Men have boxed for hundreds of years, but women's boxing is a much newer sport. The history of female boxing is a very interesting one. The sport first appeared as a demonstration event in the 1902 Olympics, but it was another 80 years before the sport was widely accepted among fans and sporting associations.

Swedish and British beginnings

Female boxing was actually illegal in most nations up to and during the 1970s and 1980s. The Swedish Amateur Boxing Association started sanctioning women's events in 1988, and this increased the acceptance of the sport. In 1977, Great Britain sanctioned its first female boxing event. The first two intended contenders were young teenagers. However, the media convinced them both to withdraw. Several weeks later, two older teen females fought in the first ever British Amateur Boxing Association women's match.

Women's Cup and International Competition

Once it began, female boxing grew quite rapidly. The first European Cup for women's boxing was awarded in 1999, and the World Championships began in 2001. Women's boxing was proposed as a sport for the 2008 Olympics but was not selected. It was, however, approved as a sport for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. This is fitting, since the first sanctioned women's fights took place in the United Kingdom.

Women's boxing is a relatively new sport that is quickly gaining a following. Though at first considered unnatural and lewd by some critics, it is now proving itself as a competitive, entertaining and lucrative sport, even at the Olympic level.