Boxing traces its origins to 688 B.C.
and the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
The sport was officially recognized in the
United States in 1888.
Boxing first appeared on the Modern Olympic
program in 1904 in St. Louis, Mo. Since that
time, the United States has captured 47 of the
191 gold medals available, more than twice the
number won by the second-place country, Cuba
(23).
Females are now allowed to register as athlete
members of USA Boxing and are allowed to
compete in sanctioned amateur competition
within the United States. USA Boxing approved a
female boxing program on Oct. 9, 1993, and the
first women's bout took place in Lynnwood,
Wash., on Oct. 30, 1993.
The alumni ranks of amateur boxing are replete
with colorful personalities and remarkable
athletes. George Foreman,, Leon and Michael
Spinks, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali (as
Cassius Clay) and Ray Leonard among others have
won Olympic gold medals prior to winning their
professional world titles. Riddick Bowe,
Michael Carbajal, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones,
Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya are among
the current standouts in professional boxing
who got their start through amateur boxing and
competed for the United States in recent
Olympic Games.