# Practice Post: Why are Boxing Rings Square?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practice-post-why-are-boxing-rings-square/113457
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [June 11, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practice-post-why-are-boxing-rings-square/113457 "2002-06-11T14:48:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![lesliegrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lesliegrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lesliegrrrl)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2002, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practice-post-why-are-boxing-rings-square/113457/1 "2002-06-11T14:48:18Z")

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I’ve been lurking here for some time and have finally decided to register and post. One of the [“Questions we refuse to answer”](http://www.straightdope.com/faq/lamequestions.html) has always intrigued me so i decided to answer it myself in my initial post: Why are boxing rings square?

According to the _Oxford English Dictionary_ (sorry, my local library only has the 1933 first edition), definition 13 of the noun sense of the word “ring” states:

“A space, originally defined by a circle of bystanders, for a prize-fight or a wrestling match…”

And _Webster’s New World College Dictionary_ (3rd edition) gives:

“An enclosure, _now usually square_ (my emphasis),…in which boxing and wrestling matches are held.”

For my next post, I will explain why apartments are all together. Stay tuned. Now, let’s see if this works…

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### Author: ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practice-post-why-are-boxing-rings-square/113457/2 "2002-06-11T17:40:42Z")

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I’m more interested in the mystery of the laughing cow / milk coming out of her nose.

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### Author: ![lesliegrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lesliegrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lesliegrrrl)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practice-post-why-are-boxing-rings-square/113457/3 "2002-06-11T19:15:42Z")

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**Q:** If cows laughed, would milk come out of their noses?  
**A:** No, but cud would.

Ewwwwww!