Hand-to-hand combat has been a part of human evolution since the first civilizations were established. Boxing emerged as a contest, matched in weight and ability, of who can land and avoid the most punches. It was mainly featured in cultural festivals worldwide and established reputations for the winners. However, boxing became viewed as a lower-class, uncivilized contest during the late eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century. It became more of an underground business, especially during the early 1900s before the first world war. Then, through several promotion methods, boxing rose to fame again and became one of the most popular amateur and professional sports. Although it may seem barbaric to some, boxing’s history, community, and the future it holds have helped it stay as popular as it is today. 

For centuries, combat sports, especially boxing, have been popular among hundreds of cultures worldwide. Boxing has been popular since the start of society. Its first appearance as an official sport was in Ancient Greece during the twenty-third Olympic Games:

 Boxing first appeared as a formal Olympic event in the 23rd Olympiad (688 BCE)… the earliest evidence of the use of gloves or hand coverings in boxing is a carved vase from Minoan Crete (c. 1500 BCE). The earliest evidence of rules for the sport comes from ancient Greece. These ancient contests had no rounds; they continued until one man either acknowledged defeat by holding up a finger or could not continue. Clinching (holding an opponent at close quarters with one or both arms) was strictly forbidden. Contests were held outdoors, which added the challenge of intense heat and bright sunlight to the fight. Contestants represented all social classes; in the early years of the major athletic festivals, a preponderance of the boxers came from wealthy and distinguished backgrounds. 

When it first became a sport, boxing was much different from what people know today. Boxing had a much more brutal set of rules than the one today. The old rules mainly focused on pushing the fighters to their absolute limits rather than on their health. While boxing in the past and present have differences, they are still very similar in that both mainly serve entertainment purposes. Later, Boxing became famous because of the spread of television and the popularity of sporting competitions sparked by the Roaring 20s: “Boxing became popular because of the spread of television and the popularity of sporting competitions sparked in the Roaring 20s” (Clay 1). Television in the 60s and 70s helped spread boxing’s popularity exponentially. Boxers’ names began to be known worldwide; some greats, such as Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, and George Foreman, became boxing legends because of how much sports channels promoted boxing. Through the centuries, boxing was used as entertainment, and by way of television, it has developed into a prevalent sport today.

Although boxing is a popular sport with numerous health benefits, it is highly controversial today, primarily because of new medical research and the news surrounding boxing in the Olympic games. A quote from World Medical Journal heavily criticizes boxing for the long-lasting injuries it can cause: “Examination of the available literature shows that repeated trauma to the head results in minor to serious head injuries and associated neurological complications leading to long-term neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases” (Mustago 2). Boxing can have serious side effects that can haunt people for life. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are two of the most prominent and severe brain injuries one can sustain from boxing. As a result, many view boxing as a low-life sport that people should not participate in because of the amount of physical trauma people take from the sport. However, boxing can benefit people’s health if they do it safely in a controlled environment with the correct training. Next, another major controversy surrounding boxing is its volatile history in the Olympic Games with the International Olympic Committee. : “The decisions and discussions to keep boxers away from the Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic Games cannot be understood differently… There is no will to understand the real issues… This announcement confirms that IBA will depend on a company largely controlled by the Russian government. The concerns also include the recent handling of the CAS decision, which did not lead to a new Presidential election, but only a vote not to hold an election. The IOC will have to consider all this when making further decisions, which may…have to include the cancellation of boxing for the Olympic Games Paris 2024” (OlympicTalk 4). While this conflict has influenced whether boxing will be featured in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it will continue to do so in other fields, as the international boxing committee’s (IBA) attitude can negatively influence other sports organizations and channels. The IBA has a bad reputation since its leader refused to address the issues the IOC had with how the IBA is governed. However, the IBA’s leader never made any changes. For boxing to be reinstated in the Olympic games, its leader and the IOC need to compromise; however, this seems unlikely since both sides are equally stubborn. Because of the many controversies surrounding boxing, its future seems uncertain; however, that does not mean that boxing does not have a future. Boxing still has a potential-filled future in the entertainment industry, only humans would be taken out, and robots would replace them.

Because of its reputation in modern sports, boxing has been deemed dangerous; however, it is still prevalent in entertainment. An alternative presented by movies, such as Real Steal in 2011, is replacing humans with robots in the ring. While robot boxing has the potential to become extremely popular, there are still some flaws with it, the main one being the lack of humanity in the game: “Also, the competitions lack the randomness, intensity, and intricacy of higher horns of entertainment. Comparing MMA to Robo-One [Bot fight show] proves how limited the current versions of robot fighting are.” (Gorzka 2). People say that robots are the future of our society; however, they still have many limitations that make them less entertaining on television. They can only be programmed to do so many things and cannot think with the human brain's complexity. Also, as technology advances from flip phones to supercomputers, the possibility that robots will replace humans in several fields, boxing included,  is not far off: “Perhaps by 2050, human boxers will no longer be the majority. Instead, robot boxing may reign supreme, where there is no limit on pain, destruction, or size. The large caveat would be the possible introduction of true artificial intelligence, where robots gain free will and become indistinguishable from humans” (Gorzka 3-4). The creation of robots complex enough to box is one thing. Making artificial intelligence smart enough to think like a human in a life-or-death situation could become catastrophic. While the simple creation of accurate artificial intelligence may not be a considerable danger, creating giant robots that can think for themselves can become a problem. While today’s technology is not substantial enough to develop robots advanced enough to box like people, it is not a stretch to say that it may be possible within the next few decades.

In conclusion, boxing's long and storied history as a form of hand-to-hand combat has helped shape its enduring popularity. Despite periods where it was viewed as uncivilized or relegated to underground status, boxing has persisted and thrived through various promotion methods and the dedicated support of its community. While some may find it brutal or violent, others appreciate the athleticism, strategy, and mental discipline required to excel in the sport. Ultimately, boxing's past, present, and future will remain important in the cultural landscape of combat sports worldwide.