A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle. Unlike its cousin the wrestling ring, the ropes in a boxing ring are generally secured at the midway point.
Construction
As there are a number of professional boxing organizations, the standards of construction vary. A standard ring is between 16 and 25 feet to a side (4.88 to 7.32 metres) between the ropes with another 2 ft (0.61 m) outside. The platform the ring is on is generally 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m) from the ground with the posts rising around 5 feet. The ring itself has around 1 inch (2.54 centimetres) of padding covered by stretched canvas. The ropes are around 1 inch in diameter and held up on posts rising around 5 feet at heights of 18, 30, 42, and 54 inches (.46, .76, 1.07, and 1.37 m).
Ring?
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 in 1743, which specifed 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. That ring was specified as 24 feet square and bound by two ropes. For these and other reasons, the boxing ring is commonly humorously referred to as the "square circle."
