Boxing (or
pugilism) is a combat sport of prehistoric origin in
which two participants of similar weight fight each
other with their fists in a series of one to
three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is
achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to
get up before the referee counts to ten (a Knockout, or
KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue
(a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage
of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner
is determined either by the referee's decision or by
judges' scorecards.
In some countries with their own fighting sports, the sport is referred to as "English Boxing" (e.g. in France to contrast with French Boxing).