Elizabeth Wilkinson
Women first joined the sport of professional boxing in the 18th century.[1] Elizabeth Wilkinson Stokes was an English boxer from Clerkenwell known to be the first female boxer. The birth of Elizabeth Wilkinson remains a mystery, but she spent her life in the 18th century as a woman who enjoyed the sport of boxing. While In 1722, she became the first women's world boxing champion in a bout at the Boarded House, London, by defeating Martha Jones.[2][3][4] Her career lasted from the year of 1722 to 1728. When fighting took place during Elizabeth Wilkinson's time bare knuckles and other methods such as scratching were allowed to defeat the opponent.[1] She was known for being able to fight both genders. She showed that the gender of a person did not depict their strength, until the Americans began to take over the British in the 19th century and rekindle the masculinity of boxing.[5] Thrasher states, "They embraced a new form of passionate manhood that judged men as lovers, athletes, and for their ability to give and withstand pain in the boxing ring. Boxing, which had long been British regardless of gender, now became male, regardless of nationality. Men built a mythical past for boxing that ignored Wilkinson and crowned one of her contemporaries, James Figg, the sport's first champion." [5] Elizabeth Wilkinson continued to be ignored for her accomplishments, while masculinity began to take over boxing completely. The beginning of her life was a mystery, just as much as her last fight in 1728. She dissappeard leaving no information of why she gave up boxing, or the year that she was deceased.[5] The impaction of Elizabeth Wilkinson being the first female boxer gives other females in society a chance to be a part of the once so called "masculine sport". Boxing for women resurfaced in the year 1990, and was being more exposed to media than ever before.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Wikipedia contributors. "Women's boxing." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Nov. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015.
- ↑ Reinhold, Barbara (14/01/13). "Lucha femenina: knock out a los prejuicios". Clarin. Retrieved 2014-06-29. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Women's Boxing Historical Events". WBAN. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- ↑ "Honoring Women’s Labor: Elizabeth Wilkinson-Stokes, 18th Century Boxer!". Girlboxing. 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
- 1 2 3 Thrasher, Christopher. Disappearance: How Shifting Gendered Boundaries Motivated the Removal of Eighteenth Century Boxing Champion Elizabeth Wilkinson from Historical Memory. New Mexico Military Institute.