Boxing is a sport where two people wearing padded gloves compete with their fists inside a roped-off square called a ring. Boxers score points by landing clean punches on their opponent while avoiding getting hit themselves. The match is divided into timed rounds, usually three minutes each, with short breaks in between.

Boxing requires an unusual combination of skills: explosive strength to deliver powerful punches, lightning-fast reflexes to dodge and block, strategic thinking to outsmart your opponent, and exceptional endurance to keep going when you're exhausted. A good boxer must read their opponent's movements, wait for the right moment to strike, and protect themselves at the same time.

The sport has ancient roots, dating back thousands of years to Greece and Rome, though modern boxing with its current rules began in England during the 1700s. Famous boxers like Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis became cultural icons, celebrated for their athletic skill and personal courage.

The word can also mean the act of packing things into boxes, as in boxing up your belongings when moving to a new house. Someone who boxes items for shipping is placing them carefully in cardboard boxes.