According to the boxing chronicle Pugilistica, the first newspaper report of a boxing match in England dates from 1681, when the Protestant Mercury stated: 'Yesterday a match of boxing was performed before his Grace the Duke of Albemarle, between the Duke's footman and a butcher. The sport as it is known today originated in England. The American National Police Gazette magazine was recognized as sanctioning the world championship titles.īare-knuckle boxing has seen a resurgence in the 21st century with English promoters such as Bare Knuckle Boxing (BKB) in Coventry and Ultimate Bare Knuckle Boxing (UBKB) in Warrington, as well as American promoters Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in Philadelphia and BYB Extreme (BYB) in Miami. The last major world heavyweight championship happened in 1889 and was held by John L.
By the late 19th century, professional boxing moved from bare-knuckle to using boxing gloves. The rules that provided the foundation for bare-knuckle boxing for much of the 18th and 19th centuries were the London Prize Ring Rules.
The sport as it is known today originated in 17th-century England and differs from street fighting as it follows an accepted set of rules. Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands.
