Is boxing really just about hit and not get hit?

[X]

I think it was Andre Berto in an interview who stated boxings roots were from the Romans

The first known reference to boxing (or two men unarmed fighting for entertainment in front of a crowd) was from the ancient Greeks, some 2000 years before the Romans were around. It is perhaps the oldest surviving sport (hunting is older, but it was not invented as a sport)

Hence Castor and Pollux being known as the twin gods of boxing.