Boxing is one of the world’s most historic sports. The earliest evidence of Ancient Boxing comes from the Middle East in 3,000 BC and was made an Olympic sport at the 23rd Olympiad in 688 BC.  Boxing, as we know it today, is largely derived from the Marquees of Queensbury rules, first published in 1867.

Boxing is a 1v1 sport which consists of three rounds, typically ranging between 3-12 per fight. The objective of the game is to render your opponent unconscious or unable to answer a referee’s 10 count once they’ve fallen to the floor. If neither has happened before the allocated number of rounds is over, the result will be decided by a judge’s score. A judge will base their decision on who they felt had the best performance per round. Once the scores are added together, the fighter with the most points will be declared the winner. If scores are still equal, the bout will be ruled a draw.

While bare-knuckle fighting does exist, almost all professional boxing is contested using boxing gloves. At some levels, fighters will also wear headgear to protect themselves from potential head injuries/concussions. You are not allowed to hit an opponent below the belt, on the back of their head or the back of their neck.

Boxing is performed in a ring with ropes and four corner stations. Fighters are not permitted to use ropes as leverage and are not allowed to leave the ring for the duration of a fight. Fighters will be warned of rule breaks and may face a points deduction or disqualification if rules are continuously breached.

Boxing matches are separated by weight class. In amateur boxing, these are:

Light Flyweight – Men’s 46-49kg, Women’s 45-48kg

Flyweight – Men’s 49-52kg, Women’s 48-51kg

Bantamweight – Men’s 52-56kg, Women’s 51-54kg

Featherweight –Women’s 54-57kg

Lightweight – Men’s 56-60kg, Women’s 57-60kg

Light Welterweight – Men’s 60-64kg, Women’s 60-64kg

Welterweight – Men’s 64-69kg, Women’s 64-69kg

Middleweight – Men’s 69-75kg, Women’s 69-75 kg

Light Heavyweight – Men’s 75-81kg, Women’s 75-81kg

Heavyweight – Men’s 81-91kg

Great Britain has seen large success at the Olympic Games where they are the third most successful Boxing nation, with twenty gold medals and sixty-two medals overall. In 2022, Great Britain won two gold medals. Galal Yafai won gold in the Men’s Flyweight while Lauren Price won the Women’s Middleweight gold.

Scottish Student Sport hosts many boxing events throughout the year, including the Annual Scottish Student Championships, BUCS Championships and British and Irish Championships. So, there are plenty of events for budding boxers to compete in

If you are interested in joining a boxing society, click the following links:

Heriot-Watt University: https://sportsunion.site.hw.ac.uk/boxing/

RGU: https://www.rguunion.co.uk/getinvolved/societies/boxing/

University of Aberdeen: https://www.ausa.org.uk/sports/club/aubxc/

University of Dundee: https://sportsunion.dundee.ac.uk/clubs/boxing/

University of Edinburgh: https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/boxing/

University of Glasgow: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/sport/whatson/club/boxing/

University of St. Andrews: https://boxing.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

University of Stirling: https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/sportsunion/clubs/boxing/

University of Strathclyde: https://www.strathunion.com/sports-union/club-sport/club/6240/

Sports Chair: Hameed Ahmed – sssboxingchair@gmail.com

Governing Body: Boxing Scotland – https://www.boxingscotland.org/