‘Boxing: A Cultural History’ is a new investigation of the shifting social, political and cultural resonances of the visceral sport by UCL English lecturer Kasia Boddy. Dr Boddy demonstrates that the ring has proven to be a enduring venue for staging ideas about class, violence, gender, work, leisure, ideology, politics, race and nation. Here she describes the social and historical significance of a selection of the images from her book, published by Reaktion Books.