Something reminded me of "Believe IT of Not" cartoon by
Ripley, many years ago, of an Olympic contestant, wearing
ancient version of brass knuckles used in an event combinging boxing and wrestling: the pancratium. I think
Ripley spelled it "pankratium".

Source: The Collins English Dictionary © 2000 HarperCollins Publishers:

pancratium [pæn'kreýʃýəm]
noun
(plural: -tia [-ʃýə])
(in ancient Greece) a wrestling and boxing contest
[ETYMOLOGY: 17th Century: via Latin from Greek pankration, from pan- + kratos strength]
pancratic [pæn'krætýk] adjective

The first guy to die was the loser. The winner was buried with a laurel wreath.

Well, the winner died, then, eh, Faldage? I mean, if the winner was buried with a laurel wreath, then he was second to die, right? Or did the winner go on to fight others in which he could have become the first to die, but still got to be buried with his wreath from the previous pancratium. In fact, if the winner won several pancratia, was he buried with several laurel wreaths?