Boxing was banned from the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 because the sport was considered to be too violent. Only until 1920 did the sport gain international recognition, followed by a wave of immense popularity due to the likes of boxing heroes like Cassius Clay (Mohammad Ali) and George Foreman. Undoubtedly boxing is one of the most blatantly violent sports. Only recently has one-on-one fighting superceded boxing's intensity on television with the anything-goes rules of "ultimate fighting" competitions. Boxing usually results in at least a little blood spill, and involves intense blows to the head that can cause brain damage or even death. In extreme cases, the violence of boxing bleeds outside of the ring, as when Mike Tyson brutally bit the ear of opponent Evander Holyfield. Because of the intensity of boxing's violence, many individuals and groups have called for a ban of boxing, at least on television....
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