Boxer, Manners & Masculinity

Boxing is a Gentleman's Sport, and Prize fighting was enormously popular during the second half of the eighteenth century in Britain.

It became a fashion perhaps experienced as keenly by contemporary men of all classes as the “culture of sensibility” that describes this period of increasing politeness in society. This juxtaposition illustrates a vexing eighteenth-century issue: could a man be both polite and manly?

The gentleman boxer synthesized traditionally held views of manliness with the civilizing effects of modern consumerism, acknowledged the concerns and aspirations of men of all classes, and responded to the political imperative for fighting men capable of forging a new nation bent on empire building.

Of course, you can still use boxing as an integral part of your fitness routine. Boxing is a fantastic way to stay in shape and improve your fitness levels. Giving you an intense cardio workout, you can rely on boxing to improve respiratory function, enhance your hand-eye coordination and increase your overall strength. While boxing will help you to build muscle mass in your upper arms, it’s also an effective way to train your legs and core. A strong punch requires force from the entire body, so you can be sure boxing will help you maintain every part of your physique.

The ultimate gentleman boxer was both, polite and manly and a fine example of a masculine identity negotiated between individual conceptions of the self and the material circumstances in which that self is found.

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