Naval association with Boxing?

[bushido_man96]

When you hear about armed forces in combat sports, you used to always hear about Boxing within the Navy. What was the connection there? Does anyone know the history of the Naval Boxing Academy, and why the Navy took to Boxing like it did? Perhaps the ease with which a ring could be set up on the deck of a ship?

Any enlightenment would be great!

[ShoriKid]

Are you looking for factual statements backed up by sources and links, or wild conjecture and theories with litle real evidence other than vague opinions? The former, I'd love to help with, but my sources for Navy history are my wife's grandfather, a retired WW II eara CB and...well, that's about it. Had an uncle in the Navy, shore side most all of his time as I recall though. The later, I can offer up some ideas based off of a basic tendancey through military history that I've studied and general Western martial tendencies. I love the idea.

I'd also like to know if anyone has hard facts on why boxing as a highschool level sport disappeared. Without meaning to sound too Un-PC, I would lay good odds to Title IX playing into it some what, as it's been part of why wrestling went out of many schools as well.

[bushido_man96]

If you have some good research backing, then that would be great. I am just interested in why Boxing became so attached to the Navy. Throw out what you have, and then elaborate on whether it is backed by fact, or by wild conjecture and theory. We'll go from there.

I guess the reason that it strikes me as odd is because you would think of the ground forces of being more tuned into the hand-to-hand combat sports, where they would be more inclined to meet it on the field. In the present day Navy, the likeyhood of being boarded and having to repel enemies in the old pirate sense, is pretty much non-existent now.

Do you see where I am coming from?

[tallgeese]

Entirely see where you're coming from. It's a good question. My old man boxed in the Navy and according to him it was fairly wide spread. Now that you mention it, I've never actually asked why. I'm not certain that it is still as prevalent today as it has been in the past.

Ok, I guess I gotta try to do some reasearch...

[bushido_man96]

I should do some digging, too. My dad was in the Navy, but he didn't do any Boxing. He didn't attend the Naval Academy, though, either. I think that the Naval Academy itself is, or was, pretty proud of their Boxing program.