Why is boxing known as sweet science?

Answer 1

The phrase "the sweet science of boxing" was first used by a gentleman called Pierce Egan who wrote a collection of articles regarding boxing. He wrote the articles in the publication, Boxiana, or Sketches of Modern Pugilism in 1824.

"The phrase "the sweet science of boxing" was popularized by Liebling. He got it from Pierce Egan's Boxiana, collections of articles about boxing in England in the 1700s. Egan called boxing "The Sweet Science of Bruising."

http://www.greatbasinweb.com/gb2-2/sweetstories.htm

"Pierce Egan (1772-1849), early journalist, sportswriter, and writer on popular culture. He wrote first about boxing in his serial publication, Boxiana, or Sketches of Modern Pugilism (1824), in which he originated the description of boxing as "the sweet science"

http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Pierce_Egan