Key facts
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 12 August
Gold medals up for grabs: 13 (10 men, 3 women)
Athletes: 286 (250 men, 36 women)
An Olympic Boxing glove weighs 284 grams (10 ounces). During the Games, competitors will get through 432 pairs of gloves.Amateur boxers are not allowed to box past the age of 34.
Boxing featured at the St Louis 1904 Olympic Games because of its local popularity in the southern United States. Women competed as well as men – the only time they have ever taken part in Boxing at the Games, until the decision to include women's events at London 2012.
The great boxers of Ancient Greece were famed for their defensive, as opposed to aggressive, boxing style – known as ‘atravmatistos’ or ‘uninjured’ fighting.
In Ancient Rome, boxers used spike-studded gloves to take part in gladiatorial contests that usually ended in death.
The 'ring' in which a fight takes place is actually a square. Each boxer is given a corner, labelled red or blue. This is also the colour of the clothing they must wear to fight.Key facts
Boxing: a history of the sport
Boxing is the original combat sport. It featured in the ancient Olympic Games, when opponents would fight each other with strips of leather wrapped around their fists.
After centuries of bloody – and sometimes deadly – bareknuckle fights in England, the sport was eventually regulated by the Queensberry rules, created by the Marquess of Queensberry in 1867.
Today's best boxers fight their way to the top through a combination of strength and skill.
Boxing at the Games
Although it was one of the most popular events at the ancient Olympic Games, organisers of the first modern Games thought boxing was too dangerous to be included in the programme.
It was eventually brought in by public demand, and has been part of every Games since Antwerp 1920.
The Games have given fight fans their first chance to see many great boxers, including the young Cassius Clay Junior, later known as Muhammad Ali.
Women's boxing made a brief appearance, as a demonstration sport, at the 1904 Olympic Games. Following an historic decision of the IOC Executive Board in August 2009, women's boxing will be included in the 2012 Olympic Games.
How the competition runs
Boxing at the Olympic Games is governed by the sport's amateur body, AIBA. It has different rules and equipment from professional boxing.
Male Olympic boxers will compete in 10 weight classes, from light flyweight (for boxers under 49 kilograms) to super-heavyweight (over 91kg).
Male bouts take place over three three-minute rounds. Boxers score points for every punch they land on their opponent’s head or upper body.
Female Olympic boxers will compete in three weight classes: flyweight (for boxers under 51kg); lightweight (for boxers under 60kg); and middleweight (for boxers under 75kg).
Female bouts take place over four two-minute rounds, with points awarded in the same way as the men's.
Jargon buster
Throw in the towel: The traditional way to concede defeat; a boxer's assistant will throw a towel into the ring when he feels his man can no longer continue.
Southpaw: A left-handed boxer.
Belt: An imaginary line around a boxer’s midriff, below which his opponent is not allowed to hit.
Jab: A straight, arm-length punch thrown from the boxer’s leading hand.
Uppercut: An upwards-thrown punch designed to hit an opponent’s chin.
Hook: A sideways-thrown punch in which the boxer swings his arm from the shoulder with the elbow bent.
Slap: An illegal blow landed with the open part of the glove (not the knuckle area).
Standing 8 count: A precautionary measure taken by the referee to allow a boxer to recover after receiving a heavy blow/series of blows.
Get involved
Boxing is a great way to get fit and learn a new set of skills. Find your nearest club or gym through your Home Nation’s federation.
