“Drinking beer,

in a blissful mood,

with joy in the heart and a happy liver.”

The association between alcohol and violence in our own time is well documented. Likewise the association of alcohol consumption with religious ritual among early civilizations is also well-documented. There does remain, however, the question of causality; did the consumption of alcohol amongst those civilizations who first instituted ritual fist-fighting cause –even in part—these violent rituals? This cannot be proved or disproved. But the instinct of the modern violence researcher and boxing coach merge easily into the suspicion that the fact that the ancient Mesopotamians were roaring drunks did something to encourage their support for boxing.

The curious story of Gimilninurta [found inscribed on a clay tablet unearthed at Sultan Tepe, Iraq, in the early 20th century] tells a tale that combines alcohol and fist-fighting…

Gimilninurta wanted to throw a party for friends and family, but had not the funds for the purchase of the all-important vats of beer that would be sipped with long reed straws to intensify the intoxication of his guests. Gimilninurta conceived of a scam whereby he would rent a borrowed goat to the mayor of Nippur in order to finance his party and then somehow avoid payment. Seeing through this blatant scheme the mayor had his servants beat the bearded player and toss him and his friend’s goat into the street.

Bruised and disappointingly sober for the foreseeable future, Gimilninurta vowed revenge and swore to repay the mayor with three beatings. Posing as a doctor, a seer, and a burglar, Gimilninurta administered three beatings to the mayor, successfully solicited a loan from the king, got drunk, made a profit on the shindig, repaid the king with interest, and even commissioned a scribe to immortalize his story in baked clay!*

While researching this piece I happened upon a boxing magazine story concerning the alcohol-related legal problems of former middle-weight sensation Bobby Chyez. These two stories led me to reflect on the many stories of alcoholic fathers related by aspiring boxers; the fact that numerous modern gyms, prize-fighters and fight-promotion companies are managed by bar-owners who are often former fighters; that bar-owners buy many of the tables at amateur fight promotions; that local fight promotions and pay-per-view boxing events are often prominently advertised in bars where you can purchase tickets from the barmaid; and the fact that many of the dancers who work as ring card girls at these events are dating or related to boxers, who are sometimes working as bouncers at the very bars where these ladies are employed…

Alcohol use relates positively to ritual and violence. Boxing is a violent ritual often enjoyed by alcohol-imbibing spectators. Boxers are often drawn from the urban underclass where alcoholism is rampant. Since the bare-knuckle era professional boxers have looked toward the purchase and operation of a tavern as a means of investing their purses, with far more regularity and success than they have the foundation and operation of a boxing gym. The ritual of boxing certainly appears to be encouraged and nurtured by the use and misuse of alcohol.