Women’s boxing may have only been included as an Olympic sport in very recent history (making its debut at the 2012 London Olympics), but the sport has been around for much longer than that. The storied history of women’s boxing includes a lot of ups and downs, a lot of misinformation, and some incredible trailblazers. If you have recently discovered the sport, then you may be looking for a little more information and some stories from the major events that have led us to this point. You may also have a friend or family member who needs a little educating!

And there is no better time to be getting into women’s boxing than right now. The popularity of the sport has been skyrocketing over the last couple of decades, and as more and more women demonstrate their excellence in the ring, more and more young girls are being inspired to pick up the gloves themselves. Incredible new talents are emerging from all over the world, and people around the world are tuning in to watch. Here are some of the most important things that you need to know about women’s boxing.

It Has Been Around For A Long Time

Women’s boxing may seem like a fairly recent phenomenon, but a lot of that has to do with its wider acceptance by sporting bodies and in the media. It should not be too surprising to learn that there were women’s boxing matches recorded as early as 1876, when Rose Harland and Nell Saunders fought in New York City’s Hills Theatre. The earliest recorded women’s competitive fights were back in the 1720s in London, and women’s boxing was actually a part of the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. However, this was a “display event” only. The fight to become competitive and to be taken seriously would take many more decades.

Opposition To Women’s Boxing Has Been Around For A Long Time Too

It won’t be surprising to anyone who has looked into the history of most women’s sports to learn that there has been a lot of opposition to women’s boxing over the years. A planned women’s boxing match in London in 1926 was banned by two separate borough councils as well as the then Home Secretary.  The fight to make women’s boxing a properly recognised sport would take many more decades. In the United States, there were slightly quicker signs of improvement, as Barbara Buttrick made history by having her fight on national TV, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that women in the US started being able to apply for boxing licenses. Still, in case that all sounds too rosy, it is worth noting that an American female boxer went on a hunger strike for better conditions and better pay for women’s boxing as recently as 1987. It wasn’t until the 1990s that women’s boxing started being properly sanctioned in the United States and other countries, but the first sanctioned professional bout in the UK did not happen until November 1998.

The Set-Up Is Different For Men And Women

If you have watched professional women’s boxing bouts on TV or in person, you will no doubt know that the structure of bouts is different to the men’s. So, the next time that you have to explain to a friend or family member what’s going on, here are the most important differences that you need to know about. The first is that the rounds in boxing bouts are shorter for women than they are for men. In women’s bouts, the rounds last up to two minutes, whereas they last up to three minutes in men’s. Next, you’ll have to explain that women’s bouts only go up to ten rounds, instead of the twelve that men can go up to. This difference is particularly important if the person that you are explaining the rules to is partial to betting on boxing, as they will have to factor the differences in timing in before they make their wager. Of course, any good online casino or gambling platform should make the specific rules clear, and it is worth finding a site where online casino safety is taken seriously. The last thing you want is to be worrying about whether your friend is choosing the right place to make a bet or not when you are trying to enjoy a fight. The good news is that it is much easier to find a women’s boxing match on TV than it used to be if you want to place a bet in real time, which brings us to our next point.

Women’s Boxing Is Becoming More And More Popular

If you are having to deal with someone who insists that men’s boxing is always going to be more popular than women’s, then it is definitely time to hit them with some statistics. In the UK, it was reported in 2020 that there were 17% more women boxing on a regular basis than there were in 2017, which translates to 420,000 women. There was also a 65% increase in the number of women members of Boxing England in that same period. In New South Wales, Australia, where women had been barred from boxing until 2009, there are now 1000 women boxers who are registered for competitive bouts. And in April of 2022, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano made history as the first women’s boxing headliners at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City.

All Eyes On The Olympics

Women’s boxing at the Olympics has also come a long way from the display match over a century ago. At the Tokyo Summer Olympics, women’s boxers competed in flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight events. Great Britain won a gold medal thanks to middleweight boxer Lauren Price, and a bronze courtesy of featherweight Karriss Artingstall. There can be no doubt that women’s boxing has emerged as one of the most thrilling sports experiences out there, and that it is inspiring women and girls everywhere to pick up a pair of gloves and get into the ring.