You don't need gradings for something to be a martial art. Martial arts are codified systems that involve various skills for the purpose of self-defense.
Before eastern martial arts became so popular in the west, boxing and wrestling were taught as the means of self-defense and they worked well enough. Boxing is just far less ritualized than many of the arts that are known today.
People do say that the boxing known today is just a sport. However, even modern boxing teaches extremely useful skills in self-defense. The punches in boxing can all be used in a self-defense situation; there are numerous counts of this happening.
The martial art and sport of boxing is far, far older than Karate or Capoeira. Boxing has been practiced since ancient times. It is so effective in what it does that many systems of martial art have been influenced by it.
Boxing as a whole is far more "traditional" in that sense than any other form of combat (bar wrestling, which is older than mankind itself.
Response to Kokoro (for some reason I'm not allowed to comment under his answer): Greek boxing, the first form of codified fist-fighting, did not allow grappling or kicks. Yet boxing was one of the most brutal events at the Olympic games, boxers being known as the "folk with the crushed ears".
Response 2: Care to provide evidence? I for one have never heard of swords being used in boxing. It'd be interesting to see a source that says so! You may have confused the whole thing with the teaching practices of old English Defense masters, who usually taught fist-fighting and grappling ALONGSIDE fencing.
Regardless, I have always been told that when Boxing resurfaced in the upper echelons of British society, it was mainly due to the interest in Greek culture.
Now, at the time when boxing resurfaced, sportsmanship was always a virtue. Kicking was not allowed in boxing due to the fact that it was considered unsportsmanlike.
You are, however, correct on the grappling. Back before the introduction of rules, boxers would spend a lot of time grappling in the standing clinch.
Throat strikes were very rare, however; even the square boxing stance of those times was geared towards protecting vital organs.
Yes. I would call it a martial art. Boxing is a dying art today. Most people have turned to the mixed martial arts. Boxing is still a great stand up style. It is very effective and is being used recently in MMA. Many so called martial artists are encouraged to learn western boxing for their benefit. The training and dedication it takes to be a good boxer is what makes it a martial art. Also in boxing you have contact boxers actually practice what they are going to do. There are martial art who just practice kata. Also generally speaking certain martial arts were used for defense only. The individual practicing these arts was encouraged not to fight. It was a lifestyle were boxing was a job for many.
Boxing a martial art... Not by my definition. A martial art is more than a fighting method. A martial art is something that after decades of study and training still has new things to teach its students. Technically Martial refers to war arts. Boxing is certainly not a war art. boxing is a very good fighting method assuming that no one sees it as a complete fighting system. As far as striking it is great. but lacks the training as to how to throw, lock, or fight from the ground.
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Just wanted to tell you that kickboxing does not have belts.
Yes it is
very few styles have ranking. the japanese and koreans use the belt system, a few chinese schools, capoerira uses a cord system. most the other thousand upon thousands of martial arts dont have a ranking system.
as i stated earlier to you the rank system has very little to do with marital arts it was only recently added.
as for boxing, no it is not a martial art, its a martial sport. if you train with rules and your system eliminates techniques due to those rules its a sport. martial arts doesnt have rules nor does it remove techniques due to rules. some systems/styles fall under both it depends upon the way you practice and train.
edit:>
boxing is a shell of what it use to be. before all the rules, boxing contained kicking and some grappling. all this was eliminated over the centuries due to rules.
edit:> i never said it was greek boxing, boxing rules change dramatically through the centuries, in the 1700's they included punching, kicking, grappling, eye gouges, submission holds, throat strikes and even swords. were all part of boxing. i believe it was england
Edit3:>
You will have to give me a few hours to pull out sources, I'm traveling and using my phone now.
I thought the sword one was rather weird but interesting, demented things like that kinda stand out in my head when I read them
a lot of people have been telling me that boxing is a martial art although it doesn't have gradings like other martial arts such as kick boxing, I am taking up boxing and just wanted to know many people consider it a martial art people have told me it is a martial art but not a tradiational martial art such as karate or capoeira :D all answer are helpful
