Geeks on Sports: London Olympics 2012 – Boxing

Event Dates: Saturday July 28 – Sunday August 12

Medal Events: 13

Athletes: 286 (250 men and 36 women)

 

 

Geeks on Sports previewer Tim Blacksmith here today to tell you all about – Boxing, the one-time king of sports; now widely (and perhaps rightly) perceived as merely a modern day version of the roman games where men bludgeoned each other with mace and shield.

 

Oh sure, there are rules (you’ll just have to imagine the finger quotes) in place that if a competitor is bleeding they stop the fight to clean him or her up before letting them go back at it,  but the mindset is the same: destroy your opponent; win the day.

 

this is an upper-cut surprise

 

Can you tell that I don’t like boxing?  It’s not just that it’s boring and corrupt and boring and a dying sport.  In the early 1900’s boxing was king with the likes of Joe Lewis and was carried through later years by Muhammad Ali (whose Parkinson’s disease was absolutely the result of repeated blows to the head in the ring).  The sport had a revival in the 90s thanks to insane boxer Mike Tyson.

 

But in recent years the sport has once again been in decline.  Assuredly due to its lackluster nature combined with the insurgence of the more engaging MMA competitions.

 

Now, my dislike of the sport aside, boxing in the Olympics is still an amateur competition and there is some respectability in that.  The damage inflicted is lessened due to protective headgear that each pugilist wears, meaning less possibility of brain damage resulting from this barbaric sport.

 

they probably weren’t this ugly before the fight

 

 

Each bout consists of three rounds for men and four rounds for women during which punches are scored based on location to determine the winner of each round.  The winner is the fighter with the most points at the end of the four rounds or if one competitor knocks out the other.

 

 

A knockout is determined one of two ways: a felled competitor is given a count to ten to rise from the mat to his or her feet, if unable to do so this is counted as a knockout.  The second knockout is to literally bludgeon your opponent unconscious.

 

In the London Olympics the boxing event will consist of a single elimination tournaments on both the men’s and women’s side where the winner of each bout moves on with the loser being removed from the competition.  There are several weight classes, from Fly Weight – 49-52kg (108-114lbs for us Americans) to Super Heavy Weight – 81-91kg (178-200lbs) in the men’s categories.  Apparently no fatties (yeah, I’m looking at you George Foreman) allowed.

 

To see where to watch this or your other favorite sports, check out NBC’s coverage in your local area.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this preview of the 2012 London Olympics Boxing event.  Continue to check 8DaysAGeek for more previews of Olympic events.

 

 

This is Geeks on Sports previewer Tim Blacksmith signing off.

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