John Sholto Douglas Queensberry, 8th marquess of Queensberry,
John Sholto Douglas, 8th marquess of, 1844–1900, British
nobleman, originator of the code of rules that governs modern
boxing. He served in the British army and navy and later was a
member of (1872–80) the House of Lords as representative peer
from Scotland. He is famous for drafting (1865), with the aid of
John G. Chambers, the Queensberry rules for the sport of boxing.
This code of rules, superseding the London prize-ring rules that
had been introduced (1743) by Jack Broughton, contained the
basic provisions that govern boxing today. The rules were
gradually adopted in both Britain and the United States and by
1889 they were standardized. In 1895, objecting to the liaison
between his son, Lord Alfred Douglas, and Oscar Wilde,
Queensberry left an insulting letter to Wilde in a public place
and was sued for libel by the writer. In this libel suit, which
Wilde dropped, information was brought to light that led to the
conviction of Wilde for immoral