Boxing fans only just realising why it's called a 'ring' instead of square ahead of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson

Boxing has taken place in a ring for most of the sport’s existence – however, the ring is actually a square.

With the combat sport dating back several hundred years, the first official records of bouts go back to the 1700s.

Jack Broughton, who was an English bare-knuckle boxer, put together a basic rules list for the sport in 1838, which was groundbreaking at the time.

As a result, a square ring was introduced.

The first ring, which was designed by the Pugilistic Society, was 24 feet square and bound by two ropes instead of the modern-day three ropes.

But you may still be wondering, ‘Why is a square object referred to as a ring?’ Well, the real reason for this dates back hundreds of years once again.

In the early days of the sport, spectators would gather, forming a ‘ring’ around the two competitors who were fighting.

There was a marked circle which acted as a boundary for fighters.

As a result, this has carried over into the modern-day sport despite the word ‘ring’ not really being the correct term to use when referring to a square object.

Another reason for the use of a square ‘ring’ is the fact it is easy to construct and able to withstand more weight than a circular ring would be able to.

Boxing has taken place in a 'ring' for centuries (Credit:Getty)

However, the other mainstream combat sport, mixed martial arts (MMA), uses an Octagon for a ring – allowing the fighters to operate in much larger areas than boxers.

Both boxing and MMA fans will be in for a treat this weekend as Mike Tyson returns to the ring for his first professional fight in almost 20 years, while Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will aim for bragging rights in the UFC heavyweight division.

Netflix will stream the historic bout between Tyson and Paul, and we have all the details which will help you catch a glimpse of the action below.

How to watch Paul vs Tyson if you don't have Netflix

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