Editing Women's boxing (section)

== Historical overview ==
[[File:Bennett sisters boxing.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Bennett sisters boxing, c.1910–1915]]
[[File:De vrouwelijke wereldkampioene boksen in het lichtgewicht Louise Adler traint met de prijsvechter, SFA003001706.jpg|thumb|upright|Louise Adler, female lightweight world boxing champion of the 1920s, training for her title defense]]

One of the earliest mentions of women's boxing is in the [[travel literature|travelogue]] of a German man who visited London in 1710. While taking in a men's boxing match, he met a woman in the audience who claimed to have previously boxed another woman in the same venue.<ref name="auto16">{{Harvnb|Smith|2014|p=2}}</ref>

One of the earliest known women's boxing matches to have been advertised in print was in London between [[Elizabeth Wilkinson]] and Hannah Hyfield in 1722. Billing herself as the "European Championess", Wilkinson and her husband would also fight other mixed couples as a pair, with Wilkinson fighting the other woman, and her husband fighting the other man. In those days, the rules of boxing allowed kicking, gouging and other methods of attack not part of today's arsenal.<ref name="auto9">{{cite book|title=She's a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports |last=Jennings |first=L. A. |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |location=Lanham, Maryland |year=2014 |pages=33–40 |isbn=9781442236448}}</ref>

Women's boxing first appeared in the [[Olympic Games]] as a [[demonstration sport]] in 1904, in [[St. Louis]].<ref name="auto15">{{cite web|url=https://thenorthwindonline.com/3859499/sports/usoec-welcomes-first-female-boxers/ |title=USOEC welcomes first female boxers |first=Laura |last=Conway}}</ref>

During the 1920s, Professor Andrew Newton formed a Women's Boxing Club in London.<ref name="auto10">{{cite web |url=http://www.fscclub.com/history/hbox1-e.shtml |title=Formation of the contemporary women's boxing |access-date=1 August 2016}}</ref> However women's boxing was hugely controversial. In early 1926, [[Shoreditch]] borough council banned an arranged exhibition match between boxers [[Annie Newton]] and Madge Baker, a student of [[Digger Stanley]].<ref name="auto">{{cite news |title=WOMEN's BOXING BOUTS ABANDONED Promoter Yields to Public Opinion |newspaper=Hackney and Kingsland Gazette |date=1 February 1926}}</ref><ref name="auto7">{{cite news |last=Norris |first=H.C. |date=4 April 1926 |title=She Wants to FIGHT Jack Dempsey! |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/9271519/ |newspaper=Zanesville Times Signal |location=[[Zanesville]] |access-date=22 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news |title=WOMEN BOXERS Proposed Bouts With Men |newspaper=Hackney and Kingsland Gazette |date=29 January 1926}}</ref> An attempt to hold the match in nearby [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] instead was defeated by a campaign led by the Mayor of Hackney, who wrote, "I regard this proposed exhibition of women boxers as a gratification of the sensual ideals of a crowd of vulgar men."<ref name="auto1"/> The Home Secretary [[Sir William Joynson-Hicks]] was among those opposing the match, claiming "the Legislature never imagined that such a disgraceful exhibition would have been staged in this country."<ref name="auto"/> The story was reported across the country<ref name="auto6">{{cite news |title=WOMEN BOXERS |newspaper=Western Daily Press |date=30 January 1926}}</ref> and even internationally.<ref name="auto8">{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Norman |date=4 February 1926 |title=Sports Done Brown |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zpUcAAAAIBAJ&pg=3277%2C2270389 |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald Tribune]] |access-date=1 August 2016}}</ref>

In 1988 the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association sanctioned events for women.<ref name="auto14">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FxOAAwAAQBAJ&dq=women+%22Swedish+Amateur+Boxing+Association%22+1988&pg=PT285 |title=A Gambling Guide |date=3 May 2014 |publisher=Nicolae Sfetcu}}</ref>

In 1997 the British Amateur Boxing Association sanctioned its first boxing competition for women. The first event was meant to be between two thirteen-year-olds, but one of the boxers dropped out because of hostile media attention. A month later, an event was held between two sixteen-year-olds.<ref name="auto14"/>

The [[British Boxing Board of Control]] refused to issue licenses to women until they issued one to [[Jane Couch]] in 1998.<ref name="BBC 1998"/> By the end of the century, however, they had issued five such licenses. The first sanctioned professional bout between women in the U.K. was in November 1998 at [[Streatham]] in London, between [[Jane Couch]] and Simona Lukic. Couch won.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/222196.stm |title=Sport &#124; Women's boxing makes instant impact |work=[[BBC News]] |date=25 November 1998 |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/boxing-first-night-jane-couch-women-face-an-even-bigger-fight-1188035.html |title=Boxing: First Night Jane Couch – Women face an even bigger fight |website=[[The Independent]] |date=29 November 1998 |access-date=18 May 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Women boxing.jpg|thumb|Renata Cristina Dos Santos Ferreira punches Adriana Salles, São Paulo, Brazil (2006)]]

The International Boxing Association (amateur) accepted new rules for women's boxing at the end of the 20th century and approved the first European Cup for Women in 1999 and the first World Championship for women in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/boxing/womens-boxing |title=Women's Boxing |website=Insidethegames.biz |date=25 September 2016 |access-date=1 October 2016}}</ref> In October 2001 the first women's world amateur boxing championships,<ref name="auto12">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2xAWBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22first+women%27s+world+amateur+boxing+championship%22&pg=PA90 |title=Sports Events, Society and Culture |pages=90 |first1=Katherine |last1=Dashper |first2=Thomas |last2=Fletcher |first3=Nicola |last3=Mccullough |date=25 July 2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781134053278 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> called the [[2001 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships]], were held in [[Scranton]], in the United States.<ref name="auto13">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing/katie-taylor-nicola-adams-boxing-latest-tickets-schedule-results-a7651861.html |title=Women's boxing is in safe hands with the new generation after fighting its way back from a sordid past |website=[[the Independent]] |date=27 March 2017 |access-date=12 May 2017}}</ref>

[[File:LuciaRijker.jpg|thumbnail|[[Lucia Rijker]] and [[Jane Couch]] boxing, 2003]]
Women's boxing was not featured at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Olympics]]; however, on 14 August 2009, it was announced that the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board (EB) had approved the inclusion of women's boxing for the Games in London in the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Olympics]],<ref>{{cite news|first=Rachel |last=Dixon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/12/women-boxing-live-tv-olympics |title=The rise of women boxers &#124; Life and style |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=15 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/6024051/Womens-Boxing-Olympic-place-a-victory-for-justice-and-equality.html |title=Women's Boxing Olympic place a victory 'for justice and equality' |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=3094 |title=Olympic News – Official Source of Olympic News |publisher=Olympic.org |date=28 August 2014 |access-date=14 October 2015}}</ref> contrary to the expectations of some observers. Around these (2009) hearings, in conjunction with AIBA (International Boxing Association), the International Olympic Committee agreed to include three additional women's weight classes to the 2012 London Olympic Games. A new "gender-appropriate" women's boxing uniform was being created at the time, which would have required women (under AIBA rules) to wear skirts during competition. The issue was widely ignored by the public until amateur boxer and London student Elizabeth Plank brought the issue to light. She created a petition at Change.com to end the gender-based mandatory uniforms.<ref name="Paradis 82–109">{{cite journal|last=Paradis |first=Elise |date=24 May 2012 |title=Boxers, Briefs or Bras? Bodies, Gender and Change in the Boxing Gym |journal=[[Body & Society]] |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=82–109 |doi=10.1177/1357034x12440829 |s2cid=146627642 |issn=1357-034X}}</ref> It was eventually decided (before the 2012 Olympics) to give women boxers the option of wearing shorts or a skirt.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/17229496 |title=Boxers not forced to wear skirts |work=[[BBC Sport]]}}</ref>

Women were allowed to competitively box for the first time at the Olympics during the [[Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics#Women|2012 Summer Olympics]], in London, producing the world's first 12 female Olympic medalist boxers.<ref name="auto26">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/mobile/olympic_games/8196879.stm |title=Women's boxing gains Olympic spot |work=[[BBC News]] |date=13 August 2009 |access-date=12 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto23">{{cite web|last=Park |first=Alice |url=https://olympics.time.com/2012/08/09/olympic-womens-boxing-has-its-first-champions-and-a-generation-of-girls-have-new-role-models/ |title=Olympic Women's Boxing Has Its First Champions, and a Generation of Girls Have New Role Models &#124; TIME.com |publisher=Olympics.time.com; [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=9 August 2012 |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="auto22">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/sports/olympics/women-participate-in-olympic-boxing-for-first-time.html |title=Women Finally Get Their Chance to Be Contenders in Olympic Boxing |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=5 August 2012 |access-date=30 September 2015 |last1=Bearak |first1=Barry }}</ref><ref name="auto21">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/boxing/9465788/Nicola-Adams-becomes-first-ever-winner-of-an-Olympic-womens-boxing-tournament.html |title=Nicola Adams becomes first ever winner of an Olympic women's boxing tournament |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> [[Nicola Adams]] of [[Great Britain]] won the world's first Olympic women's boxing gold medal.<ref name="2012gold">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18913924 |title=Olympics boxing: Great Britain's Nicola Adams wins historic gold |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |date=9 August 2012 |access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref>

On 14 September 2014, after defeating Croatian [[Ivana Habazin]], [[Cecilia Brækhus]] became the first Norwegian and the first woman to hold all major world championship belts in her weight division (welterweight) in boxing history.<ref name="auto24">[http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/brkhus-first-woman-to-unify-division/ Brækhus first woman to unify division] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123203236/http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/brkhus-first-woman-to-unify-division/ |date=2015-11-23}} The Foreigner</ref>

In 2015 the [[World Boxing Federation (organization)|World Boxing Federation]] unified various women's titles to have one title holder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldboxingfederation.net/intro-unified-womens-world-titles.htm |title=WBF &#124; World Boxing Federation |website=Worldboxingfederation.net |access-date=8 February 2016}}</ref>

In 2024, [[Cindy Ngamba]] became the first boxer chosen for the Refugee Olympic Team;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c72pwv78kkzo|title=GB-based boxer Ngamba named in Refugee Olympic Team|date=2 May 2024 |publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=11 May 2024}}</ref> later that year she became the first medalist for the [[Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympics]], having won bronze in [[Boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 75 kg|women’s 75 kg boxing]] at the [[2024 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-04 |title=Paris 2024: Cindy Ngamba makes history as first refugee to secure Olympic medal, reaches boxing semi-finals |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/cindy-ngamba-history-first-refugee-olympic-medal-paris-2024-boxing-semi-finals |website=Olympics}}</ref><ref name="Cindyauto">{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/bolton-boxer-cindy-ngamba-secures-29705663|title=Bolton boxer Cindy Ngamba secures place in Olympics history despite heartbreak in Paris|date=8 August 2024 |publisher=Manchester Evening News|accessdate=8 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Ngambaauto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/cameroon-panama-british-paris-b2593630.html|title=Cindy Ngamba wins bronze for Refugee Olympic Team's first ever medal|work=The Independent|accessdate=8 August 2024}}</ref>