Boxing

history of women's boxing

Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses to women boxers, and most nations officially banning the sport. Reports of women entering the ring go back to the 18th century. (source: Wikipedia)

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Important figures in western female boxing

Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes

Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes was an English bare-knuckle boxer and practitioner of historical European weapon arts active in the 1720s and early 1730s. She was one of the earliest known female boxers. During her decade-long career, she was often described as a "Championess" and had a reputation for having fought 45 bouts without defeat, although no official career data survive from the time. Later in her career, she engaged in bouts in which she and her husband, who was also a boxer, fought against other mixed-gender couples. She was also skilled with daggers, short swords, and quarterstaffs. She was one of the most famous prizefighters of her time, and writers including Pierce Egan and Thomas Moore celebrated her career into the early 19th century. (source: Wikipedia)

Annie Newton

Annie Newton was London's first and principal woman boxer, claimed during her time to be “the greatest woman boxer in the world."[1]On Monday 8 February 1926, an exhibition match of six rounds was arranged at the Hoxton Baths between Newton and Madge Baker.[2] Baker was the other woman boxer in England and a student of Digger Stanley.[1][2][5] The promoter, Harry Abrahams, later stated that it was not billed as a contest but was meant to be a novelty.[5] News of the event caused outrage and protest. Plans were made to summon a 'town's indignation meeting' of local representatives with the aim of preventing the match.[5] The campaign to stop the match was led by the Mayor of Hackney, Rev. W. Evans, who wrote to the Daily News "I regard this proposed exhibition of women boxers as a gratification of the sensual ideals of a crowd of vulgar men."[5] Evans appealed to the Home Secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks. The Home Secretary replied "I should have no power to interfere, mainly, I think, because the Legislature never imagined that such a disgraceful exhibition would have been staged in this country...I hope and trust that the influence of decent public opinion will prevent such an outrage taking place."[5] (source: Wikipedia)

Jane Couch

Jane Couch, MBE (born 14 August 1968) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2007. She became the first licensed female boxer in the United Kingdom in 1998,[2] and won numerous world titles. Couch has since become a boxing promoter. (source: Wikipedia)

Nicola Adams

Nicola Virginia Adams OBE (born 26 October 1982) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2017 to 2019. She retired with an undefeated record and held the WBO female flyweight title in 2019. As an amateur, she became the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion after winning gold at London 2012, and the first double Olympic champion following a second gold medal at Rio 2016, both in the flyweight division. As of 27 May 2016 she was the reigning Olympic, World and European Games champion at flyweight, and won the entire set of amateur championships available to her – Olympic, Commonwealth and European Games' titles, and the World, European and European Union championships. Rainbow Plaque in Leeds honouring her as the first openly LGBT+ person to win an Olympic Boxing Gold. (source: Wikipedia)