Boxing: Women’s Boxing coming out of the shadows
Boxing is a brutal sport; two people in a ring beating each other up is very violent. An interesting aspect of boxing is that it used to be solely the domain of men. Men were seen as being tough, hard individuals that could take the punishment. Now women have taken up the sport as well and are just as mean and brutal in trying to break each others' faces. A few questions arise in regards to women boxers; should they be boxing, would society allow them to box and can they box?
The history of female boxing is varied and very interesting. Boxing by women is believed to have started in the 1700s in London. Now thinking about it, not a lot of people would assume that women were boxing so long ago. It could be because of the recent emergence of the sport professionally, people see it is a new innovation.
In 1720, a few fights were staged that featured women. These fighters were allowed to punch, kick, scratch, maul and gouge their opponents, often leading to serious injury for both women involved. The sport faded in and out for the next few decades until it disappeared almost completely. Bans were placed by many countries against the sport and female boxing was almost non-existent. It was in the 1950s that women's boxing really picked up steam again and in the 70s female boxers were granted professional licenses and fought in televised matches. The sport really got the coverage it deserved with the release of the film Million Dollar Baby. The film brought the real world of women's boxing into people's living rooms and made them take notice of the sport.
The physical aspects of becoming a female boxer are very similar to those required for a man. The basic requirements are the same; women who want to become boxers need to be in top physical shape and practice for hours. They should know the ins and outs of the rules of the sport and they should consider signing up to a female boxing association in order to meet and interact with other female boxers. With the basics down, all it takes is a lot of determination and desire to win for a female boxer to become great.
The problem with female boxing is that unlike the men's version, there is not a lot of money involved. Top male boxers get paid millions of dollars per fight and the boxing is usually top entertainment on television. Women's boxing is not at that level yet, because the money is not there at the moment and fights do not get top billing on television channels.
One of the controversies of the sport is the fact that a lot of boxing purists do not think that women should be boxing. They think that a boxing ring is no place for a woman and it should remain the sole domain of men. This sort of thinking is what is holding the sport back. The training is the same, the determination is the same and so is the blood and sweat. So why should women not be able to take part in a sport they love and have trained their whole lives for. Slowly this sort of thinking is being replaced with the sort of attitude that is more open and accepting and which follows the principle that if people want to pound each other senseless, then by all means they should be allowed to do so.
One of the most famous female boxers out there is Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila Ali. She has the unique distinction of being the daughter of the most famous boxer in history. This fact has been a bane as well as a huge benefit for her career. Just the fact that she was Ali's daughter, garnered so much media attention that it inadvertently gave a boost to women's boxing. What she will bring to the sport in the future is yet to be seen.
With the growing popularity of the sport of women's boxing, it will only be a matter of time before the sport hits the mainstream. It may one day be as popular as men's boxing and hopefully will be taken just as seriously. With the likes of Laila Ali and other young female boxers emerging as true stars, there is nothing that can keep this sport in the shadows any longer.
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