The history of the boxing ring
It is inexplicable to many people that the boxing ring is called this way, when in fact the facility on which the opponents box is a square structure that is completely surrounded by ropes that are held on 4 pegs located in the 4 corner of the arena. The word "ring" predisposes to the fact that the facility must be in the shape of a circle. However, how did the current version of the boxing ring come about and why is it called that?
In the early history of boxing (and "fist fighting" thousands of years ago), there was no built ring, and the two opponents fought in a kind of circle. This was also the only rule in the peculiar sport - that the two athletes did not leave the ring, which was most often depicted with its outline on the ground.
As the still unrecognized sport gained in popularity, the circles became somewhat larger, largely "built" by fans watching the "fistfights"). Also, as a result of the serious interest in duels, the first boxing rules were introduced - even after them, however, the ring drawn on the ground remained unchanged.
The first records of a boxing ring similar to the ones we see today date back to 1838. Then the "Pugilistic Society" presented to the world the first square ring in the world of boxing - more than 100 years after the introduction of the first universal rules in boxing. The circle is replaced by a square that is surrounded by ropes and 4 cars. The reason for this innovation is the excessive proximity of the fans to the boxers, which often led to accidents. Thus, with the square facility, the fans are no longer an unwitting part of the fight, and the boxers have the space to fight. In the beginning, the dimensions of each side of the square were 7.3 meters (24 ft). Nowadays, different boxing federations offer different sizes for their arenas, but the standardized size is between 4.9 and 6.1 meters.
Although boxing fights were always fought in a square arena from that point on, the word "ring" became so well-established among the people that the facility became known as the "square ring". Therefore, to this day, the word "ring" remains unchanged and is used by everyone.