Queensberry Rules are a set of rules for boxing matches. Their official name is the Marquess of Queensberry Rules. They were drawn up under the supervision of the Marquess of Queensberry in the mid-1860’s. At that time, matches were fought with bare fists. John Graham Chambers, an English athlete, composed the Queensberry Rules to replace the Revised London Prize Ring Rules of 1853.
The new rules were first used in a professional tournament in London in 1872. They called for three-minute rounds, a one-minute rest between rounds, and the wearing of gloves. The Queensberry Rules were first used in the United States in the early 1880’s. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) adopted them in 1888. In 1892, James J. Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan and became the first boxer to win the heavyweight title fighting under the Queensberry Rules.
