Boxing is one of the world’s oldest sports, dating back more than 3000 years and particularly popular during the Ancient Greek and Roman eras.
It’s sport at its most basic and primal level, full of blood, hard hits and heavy falls.
The bouts at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games will be contested at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre Precinct, with the semi-finals running on August 1, with the finals on August 2.
What is it?
Boxing is one of only three sports, along with athletics and swimming, to have been contested at every edition of the Commonwealth Games.
For the heavyweight division, boxers must weigh less than 91 kilograms and the competition works as a straight single-elimination tournament.
Bouts consist of four rounds of two minutes, with one-minute breaks between rounds.
Why should I watch it?
It’s difficult not to like about boxing, it evokes emotions found in any human being. It’s fast-paced, brutal and likely to get the crowd baying for more, sometimes even too much.
Boxing is sport at its simplest – beating the stuffing out of your opponent. But it’s not only strength that’s needed to overcome your foe, there’s also a large amount of skill and tactical nous required to outwit them.
Once you get to heavyweight level the action gets very real, very quickly. Knockouts are likely, and big hits a given. It’s pure and simple, giving spectators a strange and unexplainable feeling of joy at seeing someone beaten to a pulp.
Who’s going to win? The big names
England and Canada have history on their side, having been strong performers in the past few years. England’s heavyweights Simon Valilly and Warren Baister will be two of the favourites.
Scotland has also won its fair share of medals in the past, while there could be a few rising stars among the African nations.
Aussies to look out for
Jai Opetaia, the teenage cousin of Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, is the name to watch at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
He’s looking to turn professional after the 2016 Olympic Games, where he is targeting the gold medal, and he also has eyes on first prize in Glasgow.
He was only 17 at the London Olympics, and was one punch away from a huge upset against the then-world number one heavyweight Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan, who went on to claim bronze.
He was 2011 world junior light heavyweight champion, and has a promising career ahead of him.
What happened last time?
The semi-finals in Delhi featured three athletes from the British Isles. Simon Vallily (England) beat Steven Ward of Northern Ireland in the final.
Stevie Simmons (Scotland) and Awusone Yekeni (Ghana) were awarded the two bronze medals.
Australia failed to win a medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, the first time since Christchurch in 1974. This was attributed to a cut in funding from the AIS, which has since been restored.
What to drink while watching
Something big, gutsy, and that doesn’t pull punches. A stout or sarsaparilla will do.
Fast facts
– Krystian Borucki from the Isle of Man will compete in the heavyweight division
– Brad Pitt, Australia’s first Commonwealth Games heavyweight champion, used to be a painter
– Australia won two gold and four bronze medals in boxing at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, their best ever haul
This article was first published on the Tenplay website here.
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