Wikipedia says of the boxing tent as an amusement commonly seen at agricultural shows throughout Australia between the 1920s and the 1960s is an old Australian tradition that is barely kept alive today. Born in England, now banned in America, the outback is today the only place such an attraction can survive.
"Travelling boxing troupes of professional fighters would travel the mining towns and outback of the country, following fairs and carnivals, putting up big top tents and taking on all-comers for cash in the ring.
"Among the more famous of tent boxing troupes, are Roy Bell's, Jimmy Sharman's and Fred Brophy's, the latter who's troupe is today the last surviving tent boxing troupe in the world. Fred Brophy, who owns the Cracow Hotel, Cracow, Queensland, still travels with his troupe across Australia with his wife, Sandi, and son, Fred Brophy Jnr- the world's only fourth generation tent boxer.
"Only Jimmy Sharman's troupe travelled for longer, starting his famous boxing troupe in Wagga Wagga in 1911 and touring the shows and country towns for six decades. Filmmaker Mark Shea recently made an online film about Brophy's Troupe for Australia's National Broadcaster, the ABC."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_boxing
This writer who was born in 1951 can recall the boxing tents at various shows as a kid growing up in Mackay Queensland and then Canberra in the sixties.
But amateur and professional boxing has an equally rich history in both civilian and military circles. Wikipedia provides a detailed history of boxing from the ancient world through to the current era.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing
The modern era of boxing many have suggested was initiated in 1867, when the Marquess of Queensberry rules were drafted by John Chambers for amateur championships held at Lillee Bridge in London for Lightweights, Middleweights and Heavyweights. The rules were published under the patronage of the Marquess of Queensberry whose name has always been associated with them.
It is one of the oldest and most popular Summer Olympic sports. Boxing's first appearance in the modern Games was in 1904 in St. Louis. The sport was not included in the 1912 at Stockholm because Sweden's national law banned it. However, boxing returned for good in 1920 and has produced some of the Games' most enduring memories.
http://boxing.about.com/od/amateurs/a/whatisolyboxing.htm
This writer's grand father Walter Tronson was a Queensland middleweight champion in the very early party of last century. Old newspaper clippings have been kept by the family but he said that when he married he would hang up the gloves, which he did.
Herein lies one of the most controversial aspects of Boxing. At what point should a boxer hang up the gloves. There are as many scenarios as there are answers.
A Well-Being Australia theologian with a point to ponder says that this same question applies to a host of physical activities. Footballers of all codes face the same dilemma, It is never an easy question and there are always other issues associated with such life changing directions.
Christians have relied upon the Spirit of the Lord speaking into their hearts when such issues come up. Psalm 19 verse 9: "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."