... that square enclosure used by boxers is called a "ring"?
In the early days of professional fistfighting, groups of fighters would travel from town to
town challenging the local men. The fighters would arrange a few of the spectators in a circle and have
them hold a ring of rope. Any man wishing to challenge one of the boxers would "toss his hat into the
ring." The bout would then take place in this early boxing "ring."
As the number of spectators increased, the hand-held ring no longer sufficed, and it became
necessary to fashion an enclosure by attaching ropes to stakes driven into the ground. Four stakes
were normally used, which produced a square enclosure, but it continued to be called a boxing ring.
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