The exact origins of the sport of boxing are unknown, though some of the earliest evidence (dating from the 3rd millennium BCE) comes from Sumerian artifacts found in present-day Iraq. Boxing was introduced to the ancient Olympic Games in 688 BC, where boxers used soft leather thongs to bind their hands and forearms for protection.
Boxing seemed to disappear with the fall of the Roman Empire before resurfacing in the 17th century in England, where records of amateur boxing began in 1880. Initially, five weight categories were contested: bantam, not exceeding 54 kilos; feather, not exceeding 57 kilos; light, not exceeding 63.5 kilos; middle, not exceeding 73 kilos; and heavy, any weight.
