prizefighting means professional boxing, in which two fighters compete for a prize. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 94 out of 100.
Why “prizefighting” is a great word
PRIZEFIGHTING — [Noun] Professional pugilistic combat where victory is remunerated, a transaction where physical prowess is exchanged for a purse. It is a compound of prize (meaning a reward for victory) and fighting, with an earlier form being 'prize playing', where 'play' referred to sparring or practice fighting. Unlike 'boxing'—which spans the gentlemanly amateur ring to the Olympic ideal—or 'brawling'—which is chaotic, personal, and without purse—prizefighting is a stark, monetary distillation of the craft. It is the raw, percussive thud of a gloved fist against a tensed midsection; the sharp, ammoniac sting of liniment and sweat in a smoky hall; and the specific, suspended silence before a purse is handed to the swollen victor. A man’s body is both the instrument and the collateral, a fleeting transaction in a market of damage.
noun
- Professional boxing, in which two fighters compete for a prize.“OF all the people gathered on Ninth Avenue Wednesday night to watch Marc Jacobs's spring 2003 runway show, I'm fairly sure I was the only one thinking about prizefighting.”