Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by the contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory authority to guarantee the fighters' safety. Most high-profile bouts obtain the endorsement of a sanctioning body, which awards championship belts, establishes rules, and assigns its own judges and referees.
In contrast with amateur boxing, professional bouts are typically much longer and can last up to twelve rounds, though less significant fights can be as short as four rounds. Protective headgear is not permitted, and boxers are generally allowed to take substantial punishment before a fight is halted. Professional boxing has enjoyed a much higher profile than amateur boxing throughout the 20th century and beyond.
History
Early history
In 1891, the National Sporting Club (N.S.C), a private club in London, began to promote professional glove fights at its own premises, and created nine of its own rules to augment the Queensberry Rules. These rules specified more accurately, the role of the officials, and produced a system of scoring that enabled the referee to decide the result of a fight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) was first formed in 1919 with close links to the N.S.C., and was re-formed in 1929 after the N.S.C. closed.
In 1909, the first of twenty-two belts were presented by the fifth Earl of Lonsdale to the winner of a British title fight held at the N.S.C. In 1929, the BBBofC continued to award Lonsdale Belts to any British boxer who won three title fights in the same weight division. The "title fight" has always been the focal point in professional boxing. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, there were title fights at each weight. Promoters who could stage profitable title fights became influential in the sport, as did boxers' managers. The best promoters and managers have been instrumental in bringing boxing to new audiences and provoking media and public interest. The most famous of all three-way partnership (fighter-manager-promoter) was that of Jack Dempsey (heavyweight champion 1919–1926), his manager Jack Kearns, and the promoter Tex Rickard. Together they grossed US$8.4 million in only five fights between 1921 and 1927 and ushered in a "golden age" of popularity for professional boxing in the 1920s. They were also responsible for the first live radio broadcast of a title fight (Dempsey v. Georges Carpentier, in 1921). In the United Kingdom, Jack Solomons' success as a fight promoter helped re-establish professional boxing after the Second World War and made the UK a popular place for title fights in the 1950s and 1960s.
Modern history 1900 to 1920
In the early twentieth century, most professional bouts took place in the United States and Britain, and champions were recognised by popular consensus as expressed in the newspapers of the day. Among the great champions of the era were the peerless heavyweight Jim Jeffries and Bob Fitzsimmons, who weighed more than 190 pounds (86 kilograms) but won world titles at middleweight (1892), light heavyweight (1903), and heavyweight (1897). Other famous champions included light heavyweight Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and middleweight Tommy Ryan. After winning the Bantamweight title in 1892, Canada's George Dixon became the first-ever Black athlete to win a World Championship in any sport; he was also the first Canadian-born boxing champion. On May 12, 1902, lightweight Joe Gans became the first Black American to be a boxing champion. Despite the public's enthusiasm, this was an era of far-reaching regulation of the sport, often with the stated goal of outright prohibition. In 1900, the State of New York enacted the Lewis Law, which banned prizefights except for those held in private athletic clubs between members. Thus, when introducing the fighters, the announcer frequently added the phrase "Both members of this club," as George Wesley Bellows titled one of his paintings.Robert G. Rodriguez. The regulation of boxing, p32. McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC 2008 The western region of the United States tended to be more tolerant of prizefights in this era, although the private club arrangement was standard practice here as well, the San Francisco Athletic Club being a prominent example.
On December 26, 1908, heavyweight Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight champion and a highly controversial figure in that racially charged era. Prizefights often had unlimited rounds and could easily become endurance tests, favouring patient tacticians like Johnson. At lighter weights, ten round fights were common, and lightweight Benny Leonard dominated his division from the late teens into the early twenties.
Championship-level prizefighters, in this period, were the premier sports celebrities, and any title bout generated intense public interest. Long before bars became popular venues in which to watch sporting events on television, enterprising saloon keepers were known to set up ticker machines and announce the progress of an important bout, blow by blow. Local kids often hung about outside the saloon doors, hoping for news of the fight. Harpo Marx, then fifteen, recounted vicariously experiencing the 1904 Jeffries-Munroe championship fight in this way.Harpo Speaks! pp 59–60. Limelight Editions, New York, 1961
1920 to present
Famous fights Early years Few athletes embodied, from today's perspective, the unusual world of 19th-century athletisism as much as Jack McAuliffe. He defeated Jack Hooper outdoors in freezing temperatures and later described it as a miracle that both men survived the fight. His title fight against the Canadian Harry Gilmore took place in a hardware store that had a boxing ring. However, the ring only had ropes on three sides; the fourth side was a brick wall. This proved dangerous for both title contenders: McAuliffe "only" broke his thumb, while Gilmore hit his head against the wall and suffered a concussion. At that time (1887), Jack was recognized by most as the lightweight champion. Only a bricklayer from Birmingham named Jem Carney disagreed. He was the British national champion and feared on both sides of the Atlantic. This time, the duel was held in a dimly lit barn, lasted over five hours, and was stopped after 74 rounds. Ringside reporter A.D. Phillips reported on McAuliffe's technical superiority, while Carney possessed greater punching power. From the sixtieth round on, McAuliffe showed signs of severe fatigue and was nearly knocked out twice. Carney's supporters complained about the fight being stopped too early and an unfair decision that prevented a non-American from winning; McAuliffe's supporters, on the other hand, argued that the Englishman should have been disqualified for repeated kneeing. James John Corbett is considered a pioneer of boxing training. He placed great importance on technique and, due to his innovative training methods, was called the father of modern boxing. In May 1891, he faced Peter "Black Prince" Jackson. The fight lasted 61 rounds; no winner. In the autumn of 1892, he fought John L. Sullivan for the title. By then, his self-developed training proved useful: he had internalized a very strong defense, which allowed him to evade Sullivan's punches. After what was, by the standards of the time, only 21 rounds, he knocked Sullivan to the ground. On 26 December 1908, Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia, becoming the first Black world heavyweight champion. The bout was stopped by police in the fourteenth round, with Johnson dominant throughout. Johnson's victory became a major event in the history of boxing and race relations, and helped fuel the subsequent search for a white challenger popularly described as a "Great White Hope". Johnson's victory over Burns, who had refused to take on Black fighters until public pressure forced the match, was a direct challenge to white supremacy at a time when segregation and racist ideas were prevalent.
1920 to 1959 Chicago, late '20s. Gene Tunney was one of the first heavyweight champions who could move light-footed. Dempsey, by contrast, was an intense, energetic pressure fighter. His attitude, safety last, was loved by the audience; his aggression, legendary. "He looked as if he wanted to kill me. I never faced such eyes before," Tunney recalled. In front of over 100,000 spectators, Tunney managed to win many rounds, keeping Dempsey away with jabs and good footwork when necessary. However, in round seven, Dempsey slightly moved to the left to elude one jab and landed a right. That was enough to throw Tunney off rhythm and push him back toward the ropes. It was all Dempsey needed. Six quick punches later, he knocked Tunney down—but not out. Tunney got up after 14 seconds, as the referee had delayed the count until Dempsey moved toward a neutral corner. Tunney would go on to score a knockdown of his own and ultimately win the fight. The reign of Jack Dempsey, one of the most feared fighters ever, was over. On June 19, 1936, the German boxer Max Schmeling faced the undefeated "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis, who was considered the greatest boxer in history up to that point and thought to be unbeatable. Hardly anyone gave Schmeling a chance to defeat Louis – not even Louis himself, who paid little attention to his opponent. However, Schmeling, who followed the example of former world champion Gene Tunney by studying films of his opponent's fights, had discovered a weakness in Louis' boxing style. After throwing a punch with his left hand, Louis would drop it too low, leaving the left side of his face – especially his temple – unprotected. As a result, Louis had to endure brutal punches from Schmeling's right hand during the fight and was ultimately knocked out in the 12th round. When the year 1942 ended, Sugar Ray Robinson accumulated 125 victories, 40 as a professional. One of his opponents was the "Raging Bull". The second bout was in Detroit – his former hometown. LaMotta focused on body shots: From time to time a whistle sounded that nobody else ascribed importance to. Just one of the noises during a sporting event. But it was a calculated signal that rang every time to tell LaMotta that he was aiming too much at the head. The strategy proved successful: In front of 18,930 people, he landed a couple of hard blows to the stomach and the rips. In the eighth round, he hit him out of the ring. According to the renowned Ring Magazine, BoxRec, and Muhammad Ali, Ray Robinson is the greatest fighter of all time. The image of the best hanging on the ropes with a face distorted in pain circulated around the world.
1960 to 1979
February 25, 1964: Cassius Clay was offered the chance to fight for the title against Sonny Liston. The maverick was declared the winner in the seventh round. Liston wasn't able to hit the light-footed Clay and permanently received shots. A year later, May 25, the rematch took place. Clay, who had by then changed his name to Muhammad Ali, knocked Liston down in the first round and won. Many suspected fraud because they didn't see a clear punch. All the same, slow motion revealed that Ali landed a fast, sharp hit. This lightning-fast strike was called "Phantom punch". However, it is not believable that any boxer would have been knocked out by such a blow, especially not a world-class athlete like Liston.