A visual history of one hundred years of British boxing, this book contains around 300 photographs from PA Photos' huge archives, spanning the whole of the 20th Century. One of the oldest combat sports, boxing dates back to the ancient civilisations. Popular in 18th century Britain as the outlawed bare-knuckle prize-fight, it was not until the introduction of the Marquess of Queensbury rules in 1867 that the sport gained structure and legitimacy. Charting the changing face of amateur and professional boxing, the photographs in this book give readers a flavour of the skill, brutality and grace of the sport, celebrating the heroes and anti heroes of the ring, the triumphs, controversies and tragedies of a sport that pits man against man or, in the modern era, woman against woman, with only their fists as weapons and agility their defence.

Author Biography

PA Photos is the photographic agency of the PA Group, the UK's national press agency best known as The Press Association. Established in the 19th Century, the PA has been capturing and archiving news photography for 140 years. Many of these pictures have not been seen since the time that they were first taken: to modern eyes the archives of PA Photos yield a unique insight into Britain's recent past.