Boxing (sometimes known as pugilism, Anglais boxing, Fistfighting, or English boxing) is a combat sport in which two participants (generally) of similar weight fight each other with their fists. Boxing today is conducted in a regulated way, typically in a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. Victory is achieved if the opponent is knocked down and unable to get up before the referee counts to ten seconds (a Knockout, or KO) or if the opponent is deemed too injured to continue (a Technical Knockout, or TKO). If there is no stoppage of the fight before an agreed number of rounds, a winner is determined either by the referee's decision or by judges' scorecards.
Although fighting with fists comes naturally to people, the ancient Greeks were the first to make a sport of it, by giving rules and staging tournaments with professionals. The birth hour of boxing as a sport may mark its allowance as an Olympic game as early as 688 BC. Modern boxing evolved in Europe, particularly Great Britain.
In some countries with their own fighting sports, the sport is referred to as "English Boxing" (e.g. in France to contrast with French boxing). There are numerous different forms of boxing practiced across the world.