Boxing is one of the oldest sports in the world that is still practiced today. Included in the original athletic contests of the Olympic Games, pugilism or boxing was well known and loved by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The style used in the Roman Empire was heavily influenced by their predecessors, the Greeks, and Etruscans. Neither was the first to box, however, as evidence exists from 3rd- millennium BCE Mesopotamia. Historians use ancient literature, sculpture, mosaic, and even new archeological evidence, to piece together how the game may have been played. Boxers would dress in gloves with a variety of styles, square up against their opponent in outdoor fields, make use of quick footwork, feints, guards, cuts, and throws until one of the athletes tapped out or was knocked out. Injuries could be debilitating or fatal but that did not stop the Roman public from celebrating the game to the point of political criticism.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1641/boxing-in-the-roman-empire/.