Marquess of Queensberry Rules

Drafted in London in 1865 and published in 1867, they were so named because the 9th Marquess of Queensberry publicly endorsed the code,[1] although they were actually written by a Welsh sportsman, John Graham Chambers, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

In colloquial use, the term is sometimes used to refer to a sense of sportsmanship and fair play.

[5][6] At the time, boxing matches were conducted under the London Prize Ring Rules, written in 1838 and revised in 1853.

[7] One early prize fighter who fought under Marquess of Queensberry rules was Jem Mace, former English heavyweight champion, who defeated Bill Davis in Virginia City, Nevada, under these rules in 1876, with Mace's enthusiasm for gloved fighting doing much to popularise the Queensberry rules.

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) of the US was formed in 1888 and instituted its annual championships in boxing the same year.