A Kind of Martial Sport-Boxing By Leslie T.

Boxing is no longer a violent sport for only the masculinity. In today's health conscious world, boxing is defined as a new lifestyle for everyone -- from professionals such as the fitness-conscious bankers and lawyers, to the cool trendy moms and social elites, to the body-conscious models and celebrities, to even the fun-loving, energetic teenagers!

Boxing, often called "the manly art of self-defense," is a sport in which two competitors try to hit each other with their glove-encased fists while trying to avoid each other's blows. The competition is divided into a specified number of rounds, usually 3 minutes long, with 1-minute rest periods between rounds. Although amateur boxing is widespread, professional boxing has flourished on an even grander scale since the early 18th century.

Professional boxing has long been viewed askance by the respectable elements of society. Generally banned by law in earlier days, the fighting was usually done with bare fists, and bouts often lasted forty or fifty rounds. In 1882 John L. Sullivan, a slugging fighter of great power, won the world heavyweight championship from Paddy Ryan in a bare-fisted battle marked by hitting, wrestling, scratching, and biting. Five years later, while fighting Patsy Cardiff at Minneapolis, Sullivan broke his right arm in the third round, but he continued fighting to a six-round draw. In 1889, Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in the last bare-knuckle championship fight, winning twenty thousand dollars and a diamond prize belt.

His admirers talked then of running him for Congress, but he traveled to Australia for a boxing tour instead, coming back only to lose his title in a twenty-one round bout with a young Californian named James J. Corbett."Gentleman Jim's" victory in this bout marked a turning point in professional pugilism, for it demonstrated the superiority of scientific boxing over sheer brute strength. But Corbett's reign ended in 1897, when his opponent, Bob Fitzsimmons, accomplished three epochal feats in less than three seconds: Fitzsimmons knocked out an Irishman on Saint Patrick's Day, won the heavyweight championship of the world, and invented the terrible "solar plexus punch".

The Fact is, boxing is ideal for cardiovascular and muscle training as it demands exercise of every muscle in the body. It is training for both mental and physical coordination and reaction. It is strategy and observation of the mind. It is flexibility of body movements. It is detox of daily stress, frustration and mind fatigue. It is stamina building and putting your body to the test - through focus, determination and motivation.

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