Boxing at the 1908 Summer Olympics

Boxing was originally omitted from the 1908 Games as the British Olympic Committee did not believe they would be able to attract a sufficiently international entry list. After a campaign by supporters of the sport and the promise of a large entry from France it was eventually reinstated at the end of the Olympic schedule.

For the only time ever, the Olympic boxing tournament was contested in a single day. The matches began at 11:25 AM and lasted until late in the evening, finishing at 10:30 PM (2230). Remarkably, this led to two boxers, Fred Spiller and Reginald “Snowy” Baker, competing in four bouts in one day. The matches were all three rounds, with the first two rounds lasting three minutes each, and the last round lasting four minutes. A one minute break was allowed between each round. Spiller fought 11 rounds in one day, Baker 9 - and both won a silver medal.

There were semi-final round byes in the bantamweight, lightweight, and heavyweight divisions; thus only one bronze medalist is recorded in those events. The rules noted that any boxer drawing a bye was required to spar for the specified time with any opponent approved of by the judges and the referee. No evidence exists to note if this rule was followed to the letter or not.