Boxing vs Kickboxing
Boxing and Kickboxing side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Boxing | Kickboxing | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | England | Japan |
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | combat sport and boxing |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 60 Olympic events recorded | — |
| Notable practitioners here | 7968 | 408 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States, United Kingdom and Mexico | Japan, Kingdom of the Netherlands and France |
| Equipment and weapons | boxing glove and boxing ring | fist and foot |
| Weight classes | Yes | — |
| Energy use (MET) | 12.3 MET (Boxing, in ring, general) | 7.3 MET (Kickboxing) |
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two opponents throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time. It is usually done wearing protective equipment, such as protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards.
From the Wikipedia article Boxing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is an umbrella term for different styles of full-contact hybrid boxing type, combat sports, and martial arts based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in various times in history. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, and competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.
From the Wikipedia article Kickboxing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q32112, Q178678. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.