What began as combat between Greek and Roman empires somewhere in the neighborhood of 4000 BC has evolved into one of the most popular sports in the history of modern sport, practiced in nearly every country throughout the world. Records allude to pugilistic games and festivals very brutal in nature as combatants fought often to their death, aided by the brutal use of metal studs and spikes. Today, boxing, particularly amateur boxing, is no longer brutal in nature as the sport adheres itself to the strictest of safety constraints, where utmost attention is paid to the safety of the boxer. Amateur boxing now uses gloves without spikes and contests are determined by the use of a computer, rather than by death.
Yet, for all its changes, boxing is relatively unchanged in one satisfying way: it is still hand-to-hand, one-on-one combat, pitting a boxer against someone of relative strength and size both of whom are left to battle for the prize and glory of a nation. Both are skilled in pugilistic technique and the boxer who can combat the other's defenses and offenses shall in turn be declared the winner. As simple and pure as it was in 4000 BC.
Since becoming an organized sport in 1888, Olympic-style or amateur boxing has enoyed a rich tradition of excellence in the United States. The sport has provided competitve opportunities for hundreds and thousands of young men and now young women. When Olympic-style boxing was organized as one of the first sports in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the sport's popularity was mainly limited to the United States. In the early years, amateur boxing's rules were based primarily on professional boxing's regulations.
The popularity of Olympic-style's boxing has spread worldwide since that time and has developed its own identity and rules indepedent of pro boxing.
The International Amateur Boxing Association was formed in 1946, creating an international body for amateur boxing. Throughout the sport's development process, the United States has been a world leader among nations in creating competitive opportunities, enhancing the sport's image and making amateur boxing safer for all of its participants.
The sport first gained Olympic inclusion in 1904 and since that time, United States boxers have won 106 Olympic medals: 47 gold, 23 silver and 36 bronze.
