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61-582: The British Boxing Board of Control ( BBBofC ) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom . The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff . Until 1948, it had a colour bar in effect by means of its Rule 24, which stated that title contestants "must have two white parents". The British Boxing Board of Control initially refused to grant Jane Couch

122-582: A "golden age" of popularity for professional boxing in the 1920s. They were also responsible for the first live radio broadcast of a title fight (Dempsey v. Georges Carpentier , in 1921). In the United Kingdom, Jack Solomons ' success as a fight promoter helped re-establish professional boxing after the Second World War and made the UK a popular place for title fights in the 1950s and 1960s. In

183-644: A boxing bout in New York state) and made $ 182,903.26, which was donated to Millicent Hearst 's Milk Fund. On September 14, 1923, Rickard promoted his second million dollar gate when around 100,000 people attended the Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Ángel Firpo fight at the Polo Grounds . In September 1924, Rickard promoted the fight between Luis Ángel Firpo and Harry Willis in Jersey City. The fight

244-507: A clear advantage over the other, regardless of how minute the advantage. Modern boxing rules were initially derived from the Marquess of Queensberry rules which mainly outlined core aspects of the sport, such as the establishment of rounds and their duration, as well as the determination of proper attire in the ring such as gloves and wraps . These rules did not, however, provide unified guidelines for scoring fights and instead left this in

305-476: A fight against Ray Mancini . Studies following the fight have concluded that his brain had become more susceptible to damage after the 12th round. Exactly three months after the fatal fight, the WBC reduced the number of their championship fights to 12 three-minute rounds with 1 minute in between, making the total bout 47 minutes long. If the bout "goes the distance", meaning that the scheduled time has fully elapsed,

366-584: A hotel and casino that would rival those in Monte Carlo . Rickard met Maxine Hodges, a former actress 33 years his junior at the Dempsey–Firpo fight. The couple married on October 7, 1926, in Lewisburg, West Virginia . On June 7, 1927, the couple's daughter, Maxine Texas Rickard, was born. On December 26, 1928, Rickard left New York for Miami Beach, Florida , where he was completing arrangements for

427-695: A professional licence on the sole ground that she was a woman, and argued that PMS made women too unstable to box. Claiming sexual discrimination and supported by the Equal Opportunities Commission , Couch managed to have this decision overturned by a tribunal in March 1998. The British Boxing Board of Control gives out the British Boxer of the Year award. Natasha Jonas became the first woman to win this award upon winning it for

488-598: A profit of about $ 120,000 on the fight, which was won by Johnson. On February 18, 1911, Rickard announced that he was "through with the business of prize fighting" and set sail for Argentina . There, he acquired between 270,000 and 327,000 acres in Paraguay to start a cattle ranch. Rickard managed the ranch for the Farquhar syndicate , whose land holdings in South America total over 5 million acres. At its peak,

549-863: A record. A year later, Rickard opened the Northern Hotel in Ely, Nevada . Rickard also organized the Ely Athletic club and was the owner of several mining properties in the Ely area. In December 1909, Rickard and John Gleason won the right to stage the world heavyweight championship fight between James J. Jeffries and Jack Johnson . Rickard planned to hold the fight on July 4, 1910, in San Francisco , however opposition from Governor James Gillett and Attorney General Ulysses S. Webb caused Rickard to move it to Reno, Nevada . Rickard and Gleason made

610-788: A rival body, the World Boxing Council (WBC) was formed. In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was formed. In 1988, another world sanctioning body, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) was formed. In the 2010s a boxer had to be recognised by these four bodies to be the undisputed world champion; minor bodies like the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and World Boxing Union (WBU) are disregarded. Regional sanctioning bodies such as

671-563: A world record crowd of 135,000 and brought in a record gate of $ 1.895 million. He also promoted the rematch, now known as The Long Count Fight , which was held on September 22, 1927, at Soldier Field in Chicago. This fight brought in the first $ 2 million gate ($ 2.658 million) and was the first to feature a $ 1 million purse. Rickard reported that between 1924 and 1926 his gate receipts totaled $ 7.79 million, of which he kept 80% after taxes. On May 31, 1923, Rickard filed incorporation papers for

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732-421: Is declared if at least two judges score the bout in favour of the same boxer. The result is either a (win by) “unanimous decision”, by “majority decision” (if the third judge scores a draw), or by “split decision” (if the third judge scores the bout in favour of the other boxer). Otherwise, the result is a draw: a “unanimous draw” (if all three judges scored the bout a draw), a “majority draw” (if two judges scored

793-532: Is not permitted, and boxers are generally allowed to take substantial punishment before a fight is halted. Professional boxing has enjoyed a much higher profile than amateur boxing throughout the 20th century and beyond. In 1891, the National Sporting Club (N.S.C), a private club in London, began to promote professional glove fights at its own premises, and created nine of its own rules to augment

854-642: The New York Life Insurance Company . He promoted a number of championship as well as amateur boxing bouts at the Garden. His largest gate at the Garden came from the Jack Dempsey– Bill Brennan fight on December 14, 1920. The Benny Leonard –Ritchie Mitchell and Johnny Wilson – Mike O'Dowd fights also drew well. In addition to boxing, Rickard hosted a number of other events, including six-day bicycle races , and constructed

915-660: The North American Boxing Federation (NABF), the North American Boxing Council (NABC) and the United States Boxing Association (USBA) also awarded championships. The Ring magazine also continued listing the world champion of each weight division, and its rankings continue to be appreciated by fans. Tex Rickard George Lewis " Tex " Rickard (January 2, 1870 – January 6, 1929 )

976-495: The Queensberry Rules . These rules specified more accurately, the role of the officials, and produced a system of scoring that enabled the referee to decide the result of a fight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) was first formed in 1919 with close links to the N.S.C., and was re-formed in 1929 after the N.S.C. closed. In 1909, the first of twenty-two belts were presented by the fifth Earl of Lonsdale to

1037-568: The infamous match between Bob Fitzsimmons and Tom Sharkey in San Francisco on December 2, 1896. Rickard sent Earp a number of letters belittling Wyatt's steady but small income managing a store in St. Michael as "chickenfeed" and persuaded him to relocate to Nome. The two were lifelong friends, although for a brief period of time, they operated competing saloons in Nome. Earp and a partner owned

1098-494: The Bantamweight title in 1892, Canada's George Dixon became the first ever black athlete to win a World Championship in any sport; he was also the first Canadian-born boxing champion. On May 12, 1902, lightweight Joe Gans became the first black American to be boxing champion. Despite the public's enthusiasm, this was an era of far-reaching regulation of the sport, often with the stated goal of outright prohibition. In 1900,

1159-712: The Dexter Saloon, and Rickard owned the Northern hotel and bar. In 1902, Rickard married Edith Mae Haig of Sacramento, California . They had a daughter, Bessie, who died in 1907. Edith Rickard died on October 30, 1925, at her home in New York City. By 1906, Rickard was running the Northern saloon and casino in Goldfield, Nevada . In Goldfield, he promoted a professional boxing match between Joe Gans and Battling Nelson . The gate receipt of $ 69,715 set

1220-738: The Garden and renamed WMSG. Following the success of the New York Americans in the Garden's first year, the Madison Square Garden Corporation decided to establish a second team, this one controlled by the corporation itself. The new team was nicknamed "Tex's Rangers" and later became known as the New York Rangers . Rickard sought to repeat the success of the Madison Square Garden by building seven "Madison Square Gardens" around

1281-497: The New Madison Square Garden Corporation, a company formed for the purpose of building and operating a new sports arena in New York City. In 1924 he purchased a car barn block on Eighth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets . He acquired the rights to the name Madison Square Garden, as the building's owners planned on tearing it down and replacing it with an office building. Thomas W. Lamb

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1342-538: The Northern—through gambling. While working as a poker dealer and bartender at the Monte Carlo saloon and gambling hall, he and Wilson Mizner began promoting boxing matches. In spring 1899, with only $ 35, Rickard (and many others) left to chase the gold strikes in Nome, Alaska . Rickard was a friend of Wyatt Earp who was also a boxing fan and had officiated a number of matches during his life, including

1403-596: The State of New York enacted the Lewis Law, banned prizefights except for those held in private athletic clubs between members. Thus, when introducing the fighters, the announcer frequently added the phrase "Both members of this club", as George Wesley Bellows titled one of his paintings. The western region of the United States tended to be more tolerant of prizefights in this era, although the private club arrangement

1464-663: The United States became the centre for professional boxing. It was generally accepted that the "world champions" were those listed by the Police Gazette . After 1920, the National Boxing Association (NBA) began to sanction "title fights". Also during that time, The Ring was founded, and it listed champions and awarded championship belts. The NBA was renamed in 1962 and became the World Boxing Association (WBA). The following year,

1525-494: The bout a draw, regardless of the result reached by the third judge), or a “split draw” (if each boxer was the winner on one scorecard, and the third judge scored a draw). The 10-point system was first introduced in 1968 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a rational way of scoring fights. It was viewed as such because it allowed judges to reward knockdowns and distinguish between close rounds, as well as rounds where one fighter clearly dominated their opponent. Furthermore,

1586-607: The bout is scored by three judges, none of whom serve as fight referee), the referee is the sole scorer. After the bout (if the fight goes to points decision ), the referee hands his decision to the MC and the winner is announced, the referee then raising the arm of the winner – or, in the event of a draw, both boxers' arms. Professional boxing In contrast with amateur boxing , professional bouts are typically much longer and can last up to twelve rounds, though less significant fights can be as short as four rounds. Protective headgear

1647-663: The country. In 1927, a group led by Rickard signed a 25-year lease for a sports arena at the new North Station facility in Boston . The Boston Garden opened on November 17, 1928. In 1929, Rickard and George R. K. Carter opened the Miami Beach Kennel Club greyhound track. They also planned a number of other ventures, including a jai-alai grounds adjacent to the kennel club and a horse track on an island in Biscayne Bay . Rickard also hoped to someday to build

1708-482: The death of his father. At age 23, he was elected marshal of Henrietta, Texas. He acquired the nickname "Tex" at this time. On July 2, 1894, Rickard married Leona Bittick, whose father was a physician in Henrietta. On February 3, 1895, their son, Curtis L. Rickard, was born. However, Leona Rickard died on March 11, 1895, and Curtis Rickard died on May 4, 1895. In November 1895, Rickard went to Alaska, drawn by

1769-585: The discovery of gold there. Thus he was in the region when he learned of the nearby Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Along with most of the other residents of Circle City, Alaska , he hurried to the Klondike , where he and his partner, Harry Ash, staked claims. They eventually sold their holdings for nearly $ 60,000. They then opened the Northern, a saloon, hotel, and gambling hall in Dawson City , Yukon , Canada. Rickard lost everything—including his share of

1830-564: The early twentieth century, most professional bouts took place in the United States and Britain, and champions were recognised by popular consensus as expressed in the newspapers of the day. Among the great champions of the era were the peerless heavyweight Jim Jeffries and Bob Fitzsimmons , who weighed more than 190 pounds (86 kilograms), but won world titles at middleweight (1892), light heavyweight (1903), and heavyweight (1897). Other famous champions included light heavyweight Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and middleweight Tommy Ryan . After winning

1891-829: The end of 1915. Rickard's loss was stated to be about $ 1 million. According to NHL.com, in 1924, Tex Rickard was the first man to refer to the Montreal Canadiens as "the Habs." Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants". At the time, this was a pejorative term equivalent to redneck in Canadian French. In 1916, Rickard returned to the United States. On February 3, Jess Willard agreed to Rickard's offer to fight Frank Moran in New York City . The fight

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1952-436: The end of each round, judges must hand in their scores to the referee who then hands them to the clerk who records and totals the final scores. Judges are to award 10 points (less any point deductions) to the victor of the round and a lesser score (less any point deductions) to the loser. The losing contestant's score can vary depending on different factors. The "10-point must" system is the most widely used scoring system since

2013-407: The event the winner of a bout cannot be determined by a knockout , technical knockout , or disqualification , the final decision rests in the hands of three ringside judges approved by the commission. The three judges are usually seated along the edge of the boxing ring , separated from each other. The judges are forbidden from sharing their scores with each other or consulting with one another. At

2074-401: The fighter knocked down, resulting in a 10–8 score if there is one knockdown or a 10–7 score if there are two knockdowns. If the referee instructs the judges to deduct a point for a foul, this deduction is applied after the preliminary computation. So, if a fighter wins a round, but is penalised for a foul, the score changes from 10–9 to 9–9. If that same fighter scored a knockdown in the round,

2135-403: The hands of individual sanctioning organizations. This meant that fights would be scored differently depending on the rules established by the governing body overseeing the fight. It is from this environment that the 10-point system evolved. The adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, established the foundation for greater judging consistency in professional boxing. In

2196-439: The late teens into the early twenties. Championship level prizefighters in this period were the premier sports celebrities, TO IF WE, and a title bout generated intense public interest. Long before bars became popular venues in which to watch sporting events on television, enterprising saloon keepers were known to set up ticker machines and announce the progress of an important bout, blow by blow. Local kids often hung about outside

2257-430: The mid-20th century. It is so named because a judge "must" award 10 points to at least one fighter each round (before deductions for fouls). A scoring of 10–9 is commonly seen, with 10 points for the fighter who won the round, and 9 points for the fighter the judge believes lost the round. If a round is judged to be even, it is scored 10–10. For each knockdown in a round, the judge typically deducts an additional point from

2318-419: The other participant is awarded a technical knockout win. For this reason, fighters often employ cutmen , whose job is to treat cuts between rounds so that the boxer is able to continue despite the cut. Other scoring systems have also been used in various locations, including the five-point must system (in which the winning fighter is awarded five points, the loser four or fewer), the one-point system (in which

2379-451: The outcome is determined by decision. In the early days of boxing, the referee decided the outcome by raising the winner's arm at the end of the bout, a practice that is still used for some professional bouts in the United Kingdom. In the early twentieth century, it became the practice for the referee or judge to score bouts by the number of rounds won by each boxer. To improve the reliability of scoring, two ringside judges were added besides

2440-530: The ranch consisted of about 1 million acres and had between 20,000 and 50,000 head of cattle. In 1913, Rickard's ranch was involved in a political controversy between Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia , and Brazil . Two of his employees were killed by Bolivian soldiers stationed in the disputed territory. That same year, Rickard accompanied Theodore Roosevelt on part of the Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition . The cattle business failed by

2501-409: The referee, and the winner was decided by majority decision. Since the late twentieth century, it has become common practice for the judges to be three ringside observers who award a score to each boxer for each round, with the referee having the authority to deduct points for certain violations. At the conclusion of the bout, each of the three judges tallies the points awarded to each boxer. A winner

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2562-404: The result of an unintentional foul, the fight goes to the scorecards only if a specified number of rounds (usually three, sometimes four) have been completed. Whoever is ahead on the scorecards wins by a technical decision. If the required number of rounds has not been completed, the fight is declared a technical draw or a no contest. If a fight is stopped due to a cut resulting from a legal punch,

2623-420: The saloon doors, hoping for news of the fight. Harpo Marx , then fifteen, recounted vicariously experiencing the 1904 Jeffries-Munroe championship fight in this way. Professional bouts are limited to a maximum of twelve rounds, where each round last 3 minutes for men, 2 minutes for women. Most are fought over four to ten rounds depending upon the experience of the boxers. Through the early twentieth century, it

2684-425: The score would change from 10–8 in his favour to 9–8. While uncommon, if a fighter completely dominates a round but does not score a knockdown, a judge can still score that round 10–8. Judges do not have the ability to disregard an official knockdown; if the referee declares a fighter going down to be a knockdown, the judges must score it as such. If a fight is stopped due to an injury that the referee has ruled to be

2745-455: The sport, as did boxers' managers. The best promoters and managers have been instrumental in bringing boxing to new audiences and provoking media and public interest. The most famous of all three-way partnership (fighter-manager-promoter) was that of Jack Dempsey (heavyweight champion 1919–1926), his manager Jack Kearns , and the promoter Tex Rickard . Together they grossed US$ 8.4 million in only five fights between 1921 and 1927 and ushered in

2806-593: The star system." Rickard also operated several saloons, hotels, and casinos, all named Northern and located in Alaska, Nevada, and Canada. Rickard was born in Kansas City, Missouri . His youth was spent in Sherman, Texas , where his parents had moved when he was four years old. His father died, and his mother then moved to Henrietta, Texas , while he was still a young boy. Rickard became a cowboy at age 11, after

2867-408: The subsequent adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, allowed for greater judging consistency, which was something that was sorely needed at the time. There are many factors that inform the judge's decision but the most important of these are: clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. Judges use these metrics as a means of discerning which fighter has

2928-520: The total receipts were estimated to be $ 452,000. After expenses, Rickard made a profit of $ 100,000. After the Willard–Dempsey fight, Rickard began bidding for a title match between Dempsey and Georges Carpentier . The Jack Dempsey vs. Georges Carpentier fight took place on July 2, 1921, in a specially built arena in Jersey City, New Jersey . The bout, which drew a record crowd of 90,000,

2989-570: The trial, Rickard's attorney, Max Steuer , accused two workers of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children of demanding $ 50,000 from Rickard in exchange for the girls changing their testimony at trial; however, the district attorney could not find any evidence to corroborate this claim. On May 12, 1923, Rickard promoted the first boxing card at Yankee Stadium . It drew 60,000 spectators (a then-record crowd for

3050-473: The winner of a British title fight held at the N.S.C. In 1929, the BBBofC continued to award Lonsdale Belts to any British boxer who won three title fights in the same weight division. The "title fight" has always been the focal point in professional boxing. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, there were title fights at each weight. Promoters who could stage profitable title fights became influential in

3111-407: The winning fighter is awarded one or more points, and the losing fighter is awarded zero), and the rounds system which simply awards the round to the winning fighter. In the rounds system, the bout is won by the fighter determined to have won more rounds. This system often used a supplemental points system (generally the 10-point must) in the case of even rounds. In the first part of the 20th century,

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3172-466: The world's largest indoor swimming pool at the Garden. On February 17, 1922, Rickard was indicted on charges of abducting and sexually assaulting four underage girls. He lost his license to make and promote boxing matches in New York State and gave up control of the Garden. Rickard was found not guilty on one of the indictments on March 29, 1922, and the others were dropped as a result. After

3233-980: The year of 2022. Later, in 2023, Jonas became the first black woman to receive a manager's license from the British Boxing Board of Control. The Board divides the country into seven Area Councils: the Scottish Area, the Northern Ireland Area, the Welsh Area, the Northern Area, the Central Area (including the Isle of Man ), the Southern Area, and the Midlands Area. There was previously a Western Area, which

3294-485: Was an American boxing promoter, founder of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and builder of the third incarnation of Madison Square Garden in New York City . During the 1920s, Tex Rickard was the leading promoter of the day, and he has been compared to P. T. Barnum and Don King . Sports journalist Frank Deford has written that Rickard "first recognized the potential of

3355-542: Was attended by 60,000, but the paid attendance was only 48,500. Rickard lost $ 5,005 on the bout. On March 19, 1925, Rickard was convicted of violating a federal law that prevented the interstate transportation of fight films. He faced jail time, but was instead fined $ 7,000. In 1926, Rickard promoted the Jack Dempsey– Gene Tunney fight at Sesquicentennial Stadium in Philadelphia . The bout attracted

3416-399: Was common for fights to have unlimited rounds, ending only when one fighter quit or the fight was stopped by police. In the 1910s and 1920s, a fifteen-round limit gradually became the norm, benefiting high-energy fighters like Jack Dempsey . For decades, boxing matches went on for 15 rounds, but that was all changed on November 13, 1982, following the death of Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo in

3477-637: Was held on March 17, 1916, at Madison Square Garden , then in its second incarnation, at 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan . The $ 152,000 in gate receipts set a new record for an indoor event and the purse was the largest ever awarded for a no decision. Rickard promoted the July 4, 1919, fight between world heavyweight champion Jess Willard and Jack Dempsey in Toledo, Ohio . The fight only drew 20,000 to 21,000 spectators (the area seated 80,000) and

3538-487: Was merged with the Southern Area. The Board also sanctions bouts for British boxing's most prestigious title: the Lonsdale Belt . The Lonsdale Belt is awarded to the champion of the United Kingdom in each respective weight class and to win the belt outright it must be defended against a British challenger on at least three occasions. The Board is known for its unique scoring system. Except for title fights (where

3599-606: Was selected to design the new building. Destruction of the car barns began on January 9, 1925. The new arena opened on November 28, 1925. The first event was the preliminaries for the Six Days of New York . It hosted its first major event on December 11, 1925, when a record indoor crowd of 20,000 attended the Paul Berlenbach - Jack Delaney fight. The $ 148,155 gate broke the record for an indoor boxing event. In January 1926, Rickard purchased WWGL radio, which he moved to

3660-491: Was standard practice here as well, the San Francisco Athletic Club being a prominent example. On December 26, 1908, heavyweight Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion and a highly controversial figure in that racially charged era. Prizefights often had unlimited rounds, and could easily become endurance tests, favouring patient tacticians like Johnson. At lighter weights, ten round fights were common, and lightweight Benny Leonard dominated his division from

3721-406: Was the first-ever boxing fight to produce a million dollar gate (at a then record of $ 1,789,238) as well as the first world title fight to be carried over on radio. Rickard's profit on the fight was reported to be $ 550,000. On July 12, 1920, shortly after the Walker Law reestablished legal boxing in the state of New York, Rickard secured a ten-year lease of Madison Square Garden from its owner,

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