Why is a boxing ring called a ring when it is square?

Question

Why is a boxing ring called a ring when it is square?

Answer 1

Because "Boxing ring" sounds better than "Boxing polygon."

Answer 2

From Wikipedia:

"The name ring is an atavism from when contests were fought in a roughly drawn circle on the ground. The name ring continued with the Jack Broughton rules in 1743, which specifed a small circle in the centre of the fight area where the boxers met at the start of each round. The first square ring was introduced by the Pugilistic Society in 1838. That ring was specified as 24 feet (7.3 m) square and bound by two ropes. For these and other reasons, the boxing ring is commonly humorously referred to as the "square circle.""

Answer 3

it has a better ring to it!!!!! see what i did their??? ring to it, get it??? nevermind!!!

Answer 4

you have to have some place start some place to stop.When the referee says go to your neutral corner you would have no corner to go to if were round. there would be no place to start and no place to stop.

Answer 5

Why is it that we park in the driveway, but drive on the parkway?

Why is it that anything on a ship is called cargo, but anything that travels on the ground is called a shipment?

Point being is that just the way it is, accept it.

Answer 6

in the beginning it was a ring

Answer 7

garyo10 is spot,on nuth sed man.

Answer 8

Maybe they've been boxing in a circle for a long time and called a boxing ring. Then everytime they say 'STAND IN YOUR CORNER' they dont know where to stand so they made it a square.

Answer 9

dunno  

Answer 10

In the early days of professional fist fighting, groups of fighters would travel from town to town challenging the local

men. The fighters would arrange a few of the spectators in a circle and have them hold a ring of rope. Any man

wishing to challenge one of the boxers would "toss his hat into the ring." The bout would then take place in this early

boxing "ring."

As the number of spectators increased, the hand-held ring no longer sufficed, and it became necessary to fashion an

enclosure by attaching ropes to stakes driven into the ground. Four stakes were normally used, which produced a

square enclosure, but it continued to be called a boxing ring.

Answer 11

the Chinese invented it and it was a circle with no ropes the Europeans change it to a square (watch Jet Lee in "Fearless")

Answer 12

Instincts!