Boxing ring

The boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring is square, set on a raised platform and bound around with four parallel rows of rope attached to posts at each corner of the ring. Currently professional contests have to have a international standard ring. However there are a number of different international standards.

A standard ring is between 16 and 24 feet to a side inside the ropes, although under 20 feet is most common. The surface extends for around 2 feet outside the ropes. It is raised around 3 to 4 feet from the ground. The ring floor has 1 inch of padding covered by stretched canvas. The ring posts are just under five feet in height and around 4 in in diameter, they hold the turn buckles which hook up the ropes. The ropes are 1 inch diameter and are at heigths of 18 in, 30 in, 42 in and 54 in, the ropes are secured together with spacers to prevent separation. The ring posts, turn buckles and ropes are all covered with protective padding.

The name ring is an atavism from when contests were fought in a roughly drawn circle on the ground, the name ring continued with the Jack Broughton rules (1743) specifying a small circle in the centre of the fight area where the boxers met at the start of each round. The first square ring was introduced by the Pugilistic Society in 1838, the ring was specified as 24 feet square and bound by two ropes.