Origin and Evolution of Olympic Spanish Boxing in the Period 1920-1968

Abstract

This research presents the origins of boxing in the Olympic structures in Spain at the end of the 19th century, as well as the social, sporting and economic circumstances of Spanish boxing in the 1960s. This historical qualitative recovery was made based on the analysis of the testimonies of Spanish Olympic boxers who participated in the Mexican Games in 1968, information triangulated with numerous and diverse sources. The results show that Spanish participation in boxing in the Games, since its inclusion in the Spanish sports structures in 1920, took place four times until 1960. In this last decade its practitioners came from disadvantaged backgrounds and their evolution as boxers was very precarious in terms of material and personal resources. During this period, the national team developed with scarce resources. Fighters had to combine their sporting careers with other temporary jobs to support the family economy. We can conclude that those circumstances involved very poor preparation and international and Olympic defeats. However, boxing provided a platform to raise the social, economic and cultural status of the fighters and, considering their circumstances, becoming an Olympian was the greatest milestone in their personal lives and a national sporting landmark.