Abstract

During 20th century boxing in Spanish society went from a mass appealing sport to an obliterated activity at the end of the 70s. Boxing, by that time plunged into a severe institutional and sport crisis could not resist the strong critics dumped from a public opinion, influenced to a big extent during the democratic era by the emergent new middle classes, especially sensitive towards any open manifestation of human conflict and violence. The world of boxing could not rely exclusively any more on professional incomes so it was needed to expand it in another fashion. Thanks to the entrance of full contact (mix of karate and boxing), boxing was freed from exclusive boxing gyms and was introduced to martial arts practitioners (mainly coming from the world of karate), presented as a kind of recreational -not just as a professional career- and utilitarian activity. This evolution represents in itself an example of an informalizing pattern.