Animal rights groups condemn the tradition, and have called for a complete boycott of kangaroo acts

The tradition was wildly popular in circuses and carnivals around the world with thousands paying to see it

Kangaroos used their forelegs to grip onto their opponents then kick their opponents where it hurts

In 1933 then heavyweight champion Primo Carnera 'sparred' with Jo-Jo the kangaroo in Atlantic City


Today you won't see world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko taking to the ring in Las Vegas to take on 'Big Red' or whoever promoter Bob Arum had plucked from kangaroo boxing obscurity to take on the Ukrainian fighter.

However, in 1933 then heavyweight champion Primo Carnera, also known as the Ambling Alp, 'sparred' with Jo-Jo the kangaroo in Atlantic City, America, in front of thousands. In an event that would have animal rights groups up in arms today Carnera went toe-to-toe with Jo-Jo.

It seems sad now, but back in those days put a kangaroo up against a human in a boxing ring and you were guaranteed a hit show that had them rolling in the aisles.

Heavyweight champion Primo Carnera 'spars' with Jo-Jo the kangaroo in Atlantic City, America in 1933

In what looks an unfair fight, British cruiser weight champion Jean Harvey fights with his latest challenger, a light weight kangaroo, around 1930

A boxing kangaroo swings a right hook at a human opponent at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, sometime in the 1930s. It's not known whether the kangaroo went on to win on points

Photographer Fred Morley takes on Aussie, the boxing kangaroo in London's Trafalgar Square, on August 31, 1931. Fred was so confident of victory he never even put down his camera

Despite the fact that some of the world's more notable boxers got into the ring with kangaroos, the Marquess of Queensberry rules certainly did not apply. On the contrary Kangaroos used their forelegs to grip onto their opponents then kick their opponents where it hurts with with their large and powerful hind legs.

In the summer of 1891, near simultaneous reports of kangaroo boxing first came to light in both the Northern and the Southern hemisphere.

On March 20, New South Wales paper Barrier Miner published an article on kangaroo boxing. By April 2nd, an article referencing the act being done in public appeared in Phillipsburg Herald on April 2, reports Fightland.

Before long, the phenomenon had some breakout stars: Melbourne marsupial Jack the kangaroo became the face of kangaroo boxing in Australia, while the Philadelphia Zoo's John L was his American counterpart.

Of course, John L was named after one of the most beloved boxers of the day, John L.Sullivan, an Irish-American boxer recognized as the first official heavyweight champion from February 7, 1882, to 1892.

Kangaroos are genetically inclined towards the sport, having the ability to use their forelegs to hold on and their large and powerful hind legs to lash out ferociously. It soon became all the rage, with people flocking to see the spectacle.

Soon afterwards, the trend swept the globe, emerging as a popular performance carnivals, theaters, and exhibitions across Australia, and the U.S.

Getting ready for action: A member of Sir Robert Fossett's family circus grooms the show's boxing kangaroo in 1940

Clowning around: A clown wearing boxing gloves is sent flying flat on his back as a result of a blow dealt to him by a kangaroo

A boxer pummels a kangaroo in the face in Paris, November 1932. It's unlikely that the encounter went the distance

It would grow into an iconic cultural symbol in Australia, with images of kangaroos wearing boxes gloves painted on the sides of Australian aircraft and ships in World War II.

It was later animated in several films, including Disney, the Loony Toons, the Flintstones and the Simpsons-as well as the real life act in films like Matilda, 1978.

But the act itself was later condemned, with the rise of animal activism giving rise to an anti-exploitative sentiment.

In 2010, American festival BorderFest went under fire after hosting an exhibition which saw a kangaroo garbed in in shorts and boxing gloves boxing a human dressed as a clown.

A boxer goes down for a count after getting punched by a kangaroo and doesn't look as if he's coming back for more

An advertising poster for a show at the Folies-Bergere: 'The Boxing Kangaroo', in France, in late 19th century

Can't take a punch: American actor Jesse White is seen boxing a kangaroo on the set of director Mervyn Leroy's film, 'The Million Dollar Mermaid', in 1952

The owner of the festival, Javier Martinez, was on the American Department of Agriculture watch list after several of his performance kangaroos died in four months.

Other recent images show bizarre marsupial-versus-human bout happened during the so-called Animal Olympics in Shanghai, China.

Animal rights groups such as PETA condemn the tradition, with the Asia-Pacific senior campaigner Ashley Fruno calling for a boycott of kangaroo acts in 2010, reports Daily Telegraph.

'Being forced to participate in these tawdry shows is cruel and can cost kangaroos their lives,' Ms Fruno said.

But in years gone by even heavyweight champions of the world would step through the ropes to face a boxing kangaroo and the spectators always came away satisfied.

A kangaroo boxes with a man in a clown suit during the 2006 Animal Olympics at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, on September 28, 2006

Shall we dance? The pairs look to be waltzing rather than fighting as the encounter goes a few more rounds