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==Early Development==
The earliest records of boxing emerge in the ancient Near East, where ancient reliefs from the 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE show boxers fighting and possibly wearing gloves. Ancient Egypt also has depictions of what appear to be boxers. We don't know the reasoning behind these early contests but most likely they were public activities watched by townspeople.
More records of boxing are found in ancient Mycenaean and Minoan periods in Greece, in the 2nd millennium BCE. In the ancient Greek city-states, boxing began to emerge as a formal sport that had rules, standardized equipment, and was part of the ancient Olympic games. The sport may have emerged as a way for men to prepare themselves for combat and prove their ability to fight. In the ancient Olympics, there are champions we know of and some of the rules are known to us. For instance, boxers could not hold each other, a person wins if the other was knocked out or gave up, and there appears to be no rounds. Boxers also had certain equipment, such as straps and gloves similar to those used today.
==The Rise of Professional Boxing==
