Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing Association sanctioned its first boxing competition for women in 1997. The first event was to be between two thirteen-year-olds, but one of the boxers withdrew because of hostile media attention. Four weeks later, an event was held between two sixteen-year-olds. The A.I.B.A. accepted new rules for Women's Boxing at the end of the 20th century and approved the first European Cup for Women in 1999 and the first World Championship for women in 2001. Women's boxing was not featured at the 2008 Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

; however, on 14 August 2009, it was announced that the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board (EB) had approved the inclusion of women’s boxing for the Games in London in the 2012 Olympics

2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...

, contrary to the expectations of some observers. Although women fought professionally in many countries, in the United Kingdom the B.B.B.C. refused to issue licences to women until 1998. By the end of the century, however, they had issued five such licenses. The first sanctioned bout between women was in November 1998 at Streatham

Streatham

Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...

 in London, between Jane Couch

Jane Couch

Jane Couch, MBE became the first officially licensed British female boxer in 1998. In a 14-year professional career, she won five world titles and announced her retirement from boxing on 1 December 2008...

 and Simona Lukic.

Compared to men's boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, however, it lacked popularity and exposure. This might be attributed to the fact that women's boxing, at that period, confronted a society filled with stereotypes, which categorized professions as either 'men's work' or 'women's work', or because most people did not believe they would find the same caliber as in men's boxing, or because there is a stigma regarding violence towards women.

During the 1970s, a popular female boxer named Cathy 'Cat' Davis

Cathy Davis

Cathy Davis is a former female boxer who caused sensation in the sport of boxing during the late 1970s. Her nickname was "Cat"....

 came out of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Northwest, and a few of her fights were televised. To this day, she remains the only female boxer to appear on the cover of Ring Magazine. But a scandal broke out where it was said that some of her fights had been fixed, and as a consequence, women's boxing as a sport was almost killed.

During the 1980s, women's boxing briefly resurfaced in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 under the wings of sisters Dora and Cora Webber

Dora and Cora Webber

Dora Webber and Cora Webber are twin sisters who participate in women's boxing. They are from the U.S. state of California. It is believed that at one time, they were the only set of twins to actively participate on boxing's women's leg....

. The twin sisters were world champions and packed crunching punching power and a good chin.

But the boom of women's boxing came during the 1990s, coinciding with the boom in professional women sports leagues such as the WNBA and WUSA

Women's United Soccer Association

The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...

, and with boxers such as Stephanie Jaramillo

Stephanie Jaramillo

Stephanie "Golden Girl" Jaramillo is a former professional boxer. She has been inducted into the Amateur Athletic World Hall of Fame Museum for Outstanding Boxing Achievement.-Childhood:...

 Delia 'Chikita' Gonzalez, Laura Serrano

Laura Serrano

Laura Serrano Garcia is a Mexican boxer.Serrano began boxing at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma Nacional in Mexico City, where she was studying to become a lawyer. She wanted to lose weight and stay in shape. She applied for a professional boxer's license in Mexico...

, Christy Martin, Deirdre Gogarty

Deirdre Gogarty

Deirdre Gogarty is a female boxer who was born in Drogheda, Ireland.Due to legal issues regarding Women's Boxing in Ireland at the time, Gogarty could not engage in competition there. She currently fights out of New Orleans, Louisiana...

, Laila Ali

Laila Ali

Laila Amaria Ali is a retired American professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali.-Boxing career:...

, Jackie Frazier-Lyde

Jackie Frazier-Lyde

Jacqueline "Jacqui" Frazier-Lyde is an American lawyer and former professional boxer, who is the daughter of former world Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier. In the year 2000, she shocked the boxing world by announcing that at the age of 38, she would begin participating in the sport of...

, Lucia Rijker

Lucia Rijker

Lucia Rijker is a Dutch professional female boxer, kickboxer, and actress.Rijker has been dubbed by the press and opponents "The Most Dangerous Woman in the World". She can speak four languages and is a Buddhist, dedicating time daily to meditation and chanting...

, Ada Vélez

Ada Velez

Ada "Ace" Vélez is a Puerto Rican female professional boxer who lives in Hollywood, Florida. Vélez was brought into boxing by former women's boxing world champion Bonnie Canino....

, Ivonne Caples, Bonnie Canino

Bonnie Canino

Bonnie Canino is a former women's boxing world featherweight champion for two different associations. She also won world titles in kick boxing for two different associations....

 and Sumya Anani

Sumya Anani

Sumya Anani is one of the top fighters in the sport of women's boxing.Anani, like many women's boxers, came to the sport in a roundabout fashion. While living in Kansas City in the early 1990s and working as a massage therapist, she took a course in self-defense...

, all world champions, jumping into the scene.

Women's boxing is growing with more television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 exposure, including the movie Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman...

. There are a few organizations that recognize world championship bouts, and fights are held in more than 100 countries worldwide.

On April 16, 1992, after eight years in court in Massachusetts, Gail Grandchamp of North Adams, Massachusetts won her battle to become a boxer, as a state Superior Court judge ruled it was illegal to deny someone a chance to box based on gender. During her battle to win the right to box as an amateur, she passed the age of 36, the maximum age for amateur fighters. Even though she knew it would not help her as an amateur, Grandchamp continued her efforts, and eventually did box professionally for a time.

European championship women boxing 2011

In October 2011 the 2011 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships

2011 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships

The 2011 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships were held in the Spodek stadium in Katowice, Poland from June 6 to June 11. This was the 6th edition of this annual competition organised by the European governing body for amateur boxing, the European Boxing Confederation...

 will take place in Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

, The Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

External links

• Women in Boxing - Fit-Box - History of Women in Boxing