Boxing debuted as an Olympic sport in 1908, with all five weight-class events contested on a single day at a London institute.
Key Facts
- Number of events
- 5 weight-class boxing events
- Date of competition
- 27 October 1908
- Venue
- Northampton Institute, Clerkenwell, East London
- Round structure
- 3 rounds: 3 min, 3 min, 4 min
- Scoring system
- 5 pts per first two rounds, 7 pts for third round
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The International Olympic Committee included boxing in the 1908 London Games programme, making it one of the first appearances of the sport at the modern Olympics. Organisers arranged for the Northampton Institute in Clerkenwell to host the bouts, providing a suitable indoor venue for the competitions.
All five boxing weight-class events were held on a single day, 27 October 1908, at the Northampton Institute in Clerkenwell, East London. Each bout consisted of three rounds, with a points-based judging system awarding 5 points per round for the first two rounds and 7 points for the third, with a possible fourth round if judges disagreed on a winner.
The inclusion of boxing in the 1908 Olympics helped establish the sport's place in international amateur competition. The structured scoring and refereeing rules used laid early groundwork for the development of standardised amateur boxing regulations that would be refined in subsequent Olympic Games.
Result
at Northampton Institute, Clerkenwell, East London