Changes

Despite these new rules, boxing was still not held in great esteem and some places even banned it. Bare-knuckle fights were still common and safety was not of high standard. Prizefighting was also often banned, as it was associated with gambling and other activities seen as vices. This only changed in the late 19th century, when in 1891 the London National Sporting Club augmented the Queensberry rules by now formalizing how scoring would take place and placed more importance on the officials and referees.<ref>For more on the London National Sporting Club's role in promoting boxing, see: Rodriguez, Robert G., and George Kimball. 2009. The Regulation of Boxing: A History and Comparative Analysis of Policies among American States. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, pg. 30.</ref> This emphasis was to give it more safety but to also formalize fighting so that one can win a fight without having to knockout the opponent. This now opened the door for boxing to become professional, as it was more acceptable for society to have fights that were tightly regulated. Soon, newspapers took an interest in advertising who they considered "champions."<ref>For more on how newspapers and other media influenced boxing, see: Streible, Dan. 2008. Fight Pictures: A History of Boxing and Early Cinema. Berkeley: University of California Press.</ref>

In the late 19th century and earl 20th century, champions were considered to be those who simply had a consensus around them(Figure 2). The early 20th century was also the period when saloons or pubs began to be associated with a place for knowing and hearing about a boxing match and its results. Saloon keepers would announce results as they occurred and were informed by telegraph. The use of newspapers and rise of boxing promoted in early film also helped boxing to be more acceptable to the general public and spread its interest, although boxing has never lost its connection with gambling.

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