Harry Shaffer, proprietor, Antiquities of the Prize Ring: Awarding trophies to boxers dates back to at least the eighth century B.C. Remarkable. In The Iliad, Homer writes, "Then Achilles brought out prizes for the violent boxing match." What a heel. "For the winner he led forth and tethered a sturdy mule." The big ass. "And for the loser set down a two-handled cup." So trophies are for losers. In the first century, the emperor Caligula was reputed to reward victorious boxers with young and noble virgins. The practice seems to have fallen out of favor, though. I'll say. As prizefighting developed in England in the 18th century, money seems to have been the only reward. But sometime around the 1820s, it became common for British champions to be awarded belts. Any idea why? No. Harold Alderman, historian, British Boxing Board of Control: Byelts date bock ta bar-nookle dase. Bring it on! Tom Spring wahn a byelt, lakewise Jem Ward. Yes, but why a belt? Byelts are in cape-in whit bokesin. How's that? Well, ya byelt ya mahn in the ring, so way naught ween a byelt? Sounds good to me. Aye. Nigel Collins, editor-in-chief, The Ring: Belts date back to the bare-knuckle days. So I've been told. Prizefighting became popular in the 1800s, and champions often had wealthy patrons. Friends of ours? Kinda. Boxers wore colors to represent their patrons. They'd tie a colored cloth or flag to the ring posts, and sometimes they'd also wear the colors in a sash tied around their waist. Chic. It's possible -- and this is just a guess -- that the winner would take the loser's colors and wear them like a belt. Well, way naught?

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