A combat sport in which two participants fight using only their fists, typically wearing protective gloves within a roped square ring.
From the noun 'box' meaning 'to strike with the fist', first recorded in the 1560s, possibly from Middle Dutch boke meaning 'blow' or 'beating'. The sporting sense developed in the 17th century as organized prizefighting emerged.
Boxing paradoxically represents both civilization's attempt to regulate violence and its celebration of it - the 'sweet science' combines brutal physicality with sophisticated strategy and technique. The sport has served as a metaphor for life's struggles across cultures, while also providing a pathway to social mobility for marginalized communities throughout history.
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