Category: Boxing

In everyone’s life there comes a time in life where they’re going to have to fight, even if they don’t want to, such as to keep themselves safe. Yet, some people may grow up in rough places and must fight for their survival as if they were in the jungle. Canelo Alvarez was one of these boxers. This worldwide known boxer is a perfect example of someone fighting their way out of a tough childhood to make it big. Canelo Alvarez was born on July 18, 1990, in the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico where he was raised on his family’s farm. As he grew up he took on horseback riding as a hobby. He was the youngest of eight children, seven of them boys and one girl. After that day, Canelo made it a point to try the sport that helped his brother so much and take boxing seriously. Canelo’s first time boxing was at thirteen and quickly he began mastering the techniques and basics combos do to become an elite boxer. He was already beginning to learn how to grasp the concept of boxing by destroying his opponent in the ring. Canelo was so good at such a young age that he began fighting grown men for cash to help his family. After his brother’s success, he pushed Canelo to take the same route as himself. The whole town knows of him and at age 15, he became a professional fighter at age 15Canelo age 15 with this killer instinct in the ring. Canelo came from fighting grown men in alleles for money to knocking out eleven out of 13 documented opponents from that point in Canelo was where he started to get his name out to the world seeking attention with his killer combinations. Canelo started his journey of becoming this world know boxer by getting the basics down first and watching it. (ESPN)

Boxing is a hand to hand combat sport. Where there are two people in a ring battling it out for three to twelve rounds. each round starts with a bell being rung and it ends with a bell being rung. The sport starts with each opponent coming out when their name is called. Then a song that the boxer has selected will start playing. once both boxers are in the ring the host of the event starts talking about how much they weigh in-lbs, and their height in feet and inches, and then their arm’s length in inches. From there the host will start analyzing both opponents and will give a little background of both fighters and even say how their last fight went and how there win to loss ratio is looking like. The bell rings and that is where all that the boxers have trained for comes out. Boxes like all pro players take their craft seriously but there’s is no sport that has the same amount of effort put into one’s self. Most sports that are well known like boxing are team sports that need one another to prosper but in boxing, there is only the coach and his pupil.

In boxing, there are three basic rules to have a basic stance and to always keep your hands up and keep it moving. Be for you even know how to throw a punch or anything many coaches and pro fighters focus on footwork because how to properly move out of punches and duck is crushable to be in the sport for a long time. Mr.floyd Mayweather the man whose record is 50 wins and 0 loses one said, “If you want to last in boxing it’s best not to get hit and move out the way and then do the hitting” (brainyquote). So most coaches start with the basic stance.

For the majority of people there, dominant foot goes back and there weak foot upfront shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, knees slightly bent is crucial for movement. The position is called ‘textbook’ stance because it is the most basic to learn about once master it makes it easier to go to other stances like the Upright stance that is very similar and some say that it is the “textbook” stance and the upright have very similar fishers but they both have different play styles and the only reason why people believe they are the same is because of how they look but most boxers can tell if you are just getting the hang of ‘textbook’ stands or you have mastered it and you are using upright. Boxing export joe Rogan states “ ‘textbook’ stands is the basis then there is “upright” stands that mirrors the ‘textbook’ stands but it has more fluent and more movement” he goes on and explains not just all the boxing stands but also different UFC stands(motivation grid). there are more basic stances there is the Semi-crouch this is where your feet are slightly in a right or left angle and your body is crouch to the way your feet are pointing towards and many more.

In boxing, it’s not just moving out of the way there are also some Technical techniques of punching but first, you need to know where the proper placement of where your hands go. the basic placement is hands together and just below your eyes and that is your guard position. Now there are several punches. There is the jab a quick, straight punch thrown with the lead hand from the guard position. The hand that is not being thrown should remain next to the face to guard the jaw. The jaw is crucial to always have grated. After hitting what you are axing for the hand is retracted quickly to resume a guard position in front of the face. The jab is the most important punch in a boxer’s arsenal because it provides a fair amount of its cover and it leaves the least amount of space for a counter‐punch from the opponent. Due to its relatively weak power, the jab is often used as a tool to gauge distances, probe an opponent’s defenses, and set up heavier, more powerful punches like the Cross a powerful straight punch thrown with the rear hand. From the guard position, the rear hand is thrown from the chin, crossing the body and traveling towards the target. The rear shoulder is thrust forward and finishes just touching the outside of the chin. There is now a more powerful punch that comes perfectly with the jab. The hooka semi‐circular punch thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponent’s head. From the guard position, the elbow is drawn back with a horizontal fist (knuckles pointing forward) and the elbow bent. The rear hand is tucked firmly against the jaw to protect the chin. Upon contact, the hook’s circular path ends abruptly and the lead hand is pulled quickly back into the guard position. A hook may also target the lower body (the classic Mexican hook to the liver) and this technique is sometimes called the ‘rip’ to distinguish it from the conventional hook to the head. The hook may also be thrown with the rear hand. Canelo uses this punch with deathly precision and if he can take the shoot if there is an opening he will take it. once he hits it and with his amount of power the opponent will crunch up and the best punch to throw is the uppercut to catch them looking down it will be extremely potent for damage on the opponent. An uppercut is a vertical, rising punch thrown with the rear hand. From the guard position, the torso shifts slightly to the right, the rear hand drops below the level of the opponent’s chest and the knees are bent slightly. From this position, the rear hand is thrust upwards in a rising arc towards the opponent’s chin or torso. At the same time, the knees push upwards quickly and the torso and hips rotate counter‐clockwise and the rear heel turns outward, mimicking the body movement of the cross. The strategic utility of the uppercut depends on its ability to ‘lift’ the opponent’s body, setting it off‐balance for successive attacks. (wikihow)

Boxing has changed lives for the better and can change your life if you take it seriously and can help you be safe in and know if you are in danger.

Work cited

1. https://motivationgrid.com/the-best-50-inspiring-joe-rogan-quotes/
2. https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/floyd-mayweather-jr-quotes
3. https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/28142209/canelo-alvarez-rips-sergey-kovalev-calls-bad-loser
4. https://www.wikihow.com/Box

The art of Boxing is one of the most widely practiced ideals/sports to date. Boxing is one of the biggest sports amongst almost every generation as it is still relevant today with Pay-Per-View charts being topped in some of its biggest events. Having been raised around the sport with the large Armenian diaspora in Southern California being heavily involved in the practice, through personal experience and witnessing some of the most significant events in the sport with those events providing me with a sense of what the sport has to offer along with several encyclopedias and research provided in the works cited. The history of both amateur and professional boxing, the fighters who shaped the sport in all the best and worst ways, and the fights created by some of the worlds’ greatest contenders will all be explored.

The History Of Boxing

Boxing has been around for over 100 years and has had all the proper rules and regulations put in place to ensure as minimal repercussions as possible while reaping major health benefits in some areas in the process. “Boxing, athletic contest between two persons, each of whom uses their fists to render an opponent unable to continue… ”. There is no national commission to control or regulate the sport of boxing due to its increase in popularity. “… since 1920, when New York adopted the so-called Walker Law to rectify certain abuses, regularize the apportionment of prize money, and establish a state boxing commission.” Professional boxing under commissions has been ongoing since 1920 and have since expanded their divisions. “Professional boxers compete in 17 divisions classified by weight, while for decades only eight divisions were recognized.” The founding and establishment of these organizations ranges from 1920 to 1988 with divisions being added over time. “The divisions are (according to the WBA, WBC, and IBF), with maximum weight in pounds (kilograms): minimum weight, 105 (48); light flyweight, 108 (49); flyweight, 112 (51); super flyweight, 115 (52); bantamweight, 118 (54); super bantamweight, 122 (55); featherweight, 126 (57); super featherweight, 130 (59); lightweight, 135 (61); super lightweight, 140 (64); welterweight, 147 (67); super welterweight, 154 (70); middleweight, 160 (73); super middleweight, 168 (76); light heavyweight, 175 (79); cruiserweight, 200 (91); and heavyweight, 201 and over” (See figure A-1). Most prominent organizations in the boxing world include the WBO, WBO , WBA, and IBF. Within these rankings, the establishment of rules differed and had to be relative to the classes.

The rules of boxing are dependent upon the professionalism of the sport itself with amatuer and professional both sharing rules and also having individual rules. The amatuer rules are as follows. “All fighters must wear helmets and head guards. Women wear breast guards and men wear protectors.” Upon a loss, you are eliminated from the boxing bout. “To make it quick for judges to distinguish between combatants, all fighters wear the colours of their corner — either red or blue.” A boxing ring measures roughly six meters. “Points are awarded for a blow landed with force by the knuckle part of the glove to the front of the head and front of the body down to the waist.” A boxer is unable to score while holding onto either the rope of his opponent. Amateurs of the highest degree fight in bouts lasting two-minutes per round for four rounds. Some general boxing rules are as follows. The maximum number of rounds typically in championship bouts is 12 rounds. “ … system of scoring points to decide winners of contests that do not end in knockouts …” A Technical Knockout (TKO) occurs when a combatant is unable to respond to the bell of the next round and continue the bout. Knockouts are considered when one can no longer defend themselves. These rules are set in place in order to ensure that no athlete is under and possible health risks or is exposed to any potential health risks.

Boxing reaps many benefits surprisingly such as strong cardio skills and stronger bones.

“RMIT experts believe the intense upper-body exercises adopted by boxers are among the most effective bone strengthening activities.” Boxing drills are a good way to get the blood flowing through the heart. “… if you follow some simple procedures, you can build stamina, tone your muscles and burn calories.” Boxing works all of the bodys’ muscles. “ … boxers are some of the most highly conditioned athletes competing in sports today …” Boxing provides intense workouts taking a lot of energy to get by. The health benefits of boxing are some of the main reasons that even some professional fighters took up the sport, as silly as it may sound.

Notable Boxing Fighters

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 18, 1942. “He legally changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he was 21 years old.” In his youth, Ali worked as a sign painter to help his family get by. He resided in Louisville, Kentucky for most of his youth. “Not quite yet 13 years old, Cassius began his boxing career as a skinny 112-pound novice.” For each amatuer appearence, he earned four dollars which was a lot of money in 1955. “Before long, he had won 161 amateur fights out of 167,” In 1958, Clay/Ali won his first national Golden Glove Tournament match making it to the final rounds. “By the time Cassius entered Central High School, he was a seasoned amateur boxer as well as a student.” He qualified for the 1960 U.S Olympic Boxing Team as a light heavyweight. “The championship bout in the 1960 Olympics was fought on September 5.” Ali won by unanimous decision with a score of 5-0 after cutting his opponent over the eye. “Clay fought eight bouts in 1961 and six in 1962, averaging a fight every seven weeks.” Of those bouts, he went on an absolute tear for 12 of them with those 12 bouts ending in knockout. Ali went on to dominate the boxing world and make waves in the modern world. “Ali has left a lasting legacy to America: the strong, positive image of black America that he has always insisted on presenting to the world.” His presence in the sport of Boxing is a sheer reminder that anyone can make a difference in this world.

Floyd Mayweather is the next notable fighter being one of the most influential fighters of the 21st century. “Mayweather was born on Feb. 24, 1977, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.” Mayweather comes from a boxing family with his father and two uncles having all been professional boxers. Mayweather came from a life of poverty in his younger days. “ He began boxing as an amateur while a teenager and won national Golden Gloves championships in 1993, 1994, and 1996.” In the 1998 Olympic games, Mayweather won a bronze medal for competing in its featherweight division. “… losing in the semifinals in a controversial decision. He turned professional later that year.” As a pro, Mayweather won 50 bouts with his final fight being in 2017 against Conor McGregor. “Mayweather won 27 of his fights by knockouts.” In his final bout in 2017, Mayweather announced he would be retiring from the sport. “He won world titles in 5 weight classes, or divisions, from 130 pounds (59 kilograms) to 154 pounds (70 kilograms).” In 2011, after assaulting the mother of his children he was sentenced to 90 days in a jail on charges of domestic violence making his personal life pave the way for him to become a controversial figure. “He served two months of the sentence.” Regardless of his shortcomings, Floyd Mayweather served as an integral part to the massive growth of the sport of boxing from both a fiscal approach and a societal approach.

Mike Tyson, arguably the most controversial fighter, came from nothing but shortcomings and became one of the best fighters to date (See Figure B-3). At 14 years young, Tyson was in the custody of boxing manager who became his legal guardian who was under the name Cus D’ Amato. “Born June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tyson was a gang member and youthful offender who learned to box in juvenile detention facilities.” Under D’ Amato, Tyson went on to fight in the Golden Glove amateur boxing championship of 84. “Tyson scored knockouts against Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks in 1988, and successfully defended his titles to remain champion…” In February of 1990, Buster Douglas won over Mike Tyson in a huge upset win. Tyson went on a series of wins shortly after even seeing himself as the youngest champ in the heavyweight division at the age of 20 after beating WBC champion Trevor Berbick following up with wins over James Smith and Tony Tucker to win the WBA and IBF titles. “Tyson’s personal problems, meanwhile, had intensified. In 1989 he was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant…” As a result he was sent to prison and stripped of his license to box. In March of 1995, Tyson reacquired his boxing license reclaiming his WBC title and was once again able to box. “In November 1997 Tyson faced Holyfield in Las Vegas, Nev., in a rematch, but he was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield twice in the ears.” Tyson was fined three million dollars, banned from the sport, and revoked of his boxing license for the meantime. “Tyson was relicensed; he returned to the ring, but spent several months in prison after a 1998 conviction for assaulting two elderly men…” Tyson’s career as a boxer was declining and in June of 2005, after losing three of his final four fights, he called it a career with fifty career wins and six losses. “In 2012 and 2013, Tyson toured the United States in a one-man stage show based on his life.” In 2013, Tyson published a book titled, Undisputed Truth , which is an autobiography on his life. Without these fighters, some of the most notable and iconic fights in combat sports history would never occur.

Notable Boxing Fights

As of recently, Canelo vs GGG was one of the biggest fights in modern boxing history. “Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters, the two most dangerous middleweights and two exciting fighters with loyal fanbases.” Both fighters were bound to fight at times near the peaks of their career in their upcoming bout. “Canelo-Golovkin, Mexico’s finest against Kazakhstan’s concrete warrior …” Canelo, aged 26, a strong, aggressive, and fast fighter fighting out of Mexico while Golovkin, a fearsome, strong, and fast 35 year old fighter out of Kazakhstan. “He(GGG) is unbeaten in 37 professional contests, and it is a mark of his brilliance that people saw a unanimous 12-round victory over his last opponent…” In a 12 round bout, Canelo won and became the pride of Mexico. “Canelo-Golovkin bucks that trend: two of the world’s best, going at it while they are on top of their game…”To the modern world, this bout shaped international boxing.

Years prior to Canelo vs GGG was the contest between Arturo Gatti and “Irish” Mickey Ward. Boxing Trilogy between Arturo Gatti (Nicknamed “Thunder”) and Micky Ward(Nicknamed“Irish”) “… three-fight saga brought them pugilistic glory and million-dollar paydays at terrible physical and psychic cost” Gatti, a reckless man, in and out of the ring, was the talk of the sport given his natural ability to box and his good looking figure. “Ward, less talented, won acclaim for a relentless attacking style that made him a crowd favorite.” Both Ward and Gatti were in the back end of their primes when they fought for the first time. “…Ward … became a national celebrity with the film The Fighter, which was based on his tumultuous life in hardscrabble Lowell, Mass., and received seven Oscar nominations.” Six years after their fight trilogy had ended, Gatti was found dead in Brazil after an alleged suicide. “(Ward)However, no amount of financial compensation could make up for his shattered hand, blurred vision, and damaged brain.” With the sport of boxing having a lot of pros and minimal cons, this bout proved that those cons, however small, can be devastating.

The final notable bout is the trilogy bettween Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. “…the greatest rivalry in the history of individual human combat was the three-fight trilogy staged by Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier from 1971-75.” This fight is the very definition of brutal sports, especially in boxing. Taken into consideration alongside David and Goliath. “In his prime, Ali was regarded as the best-known figure in the world, sporting or otherwise, and the humble Frazier served as his perfect foil.” By March 8, 1971, Ali had become a cultural icon prior to the first fight. “The former Cassius Clay stepped into the spotlight as a brash figure whose celebration of his good looks and his success in the ring empowered African-Americans…” Upon changing his name to Muhammad Ali, he converted to Islam and with Frazier supporting his decision, there were still grounds for a rivalry. First fight took place at the Garden with icons like Frank Sinatra at ringside with an estimated purse of 5 million for the bout. “Ali started quickly, but Frazier pressed a withering body attack in the middle rounds and clearly staggered Ali with a left hook in the 11th…” Frazier had a minor lead and eventually won the bout by unanimous decision by dropping Ali with a left hook in the final round. January 28, 1974 was the date of the second bout. By the second bout, Frazier had lost his title to George Foreman and Ali had beat Frazier using his speed to show dominance with no knockdowns at any part of the fight. “Ali regained the heavyweight title in his next fight with Foreman, and four fights later, he met Frazier on Oct. 1, 1975, in their third bout known as the Thrilla in Manila.” Ali threw slurs of insults, even calling Frazier a gorilla making Frazier hungrier than ever for the win. Understanding that this contest was no joke, Ali wrecked havoc over Joe Frazier throwing any possible combination in the book “…Frazier’s left eye was a slit by the 11th round, and by the 14th, his right eye nearly was swollen shut, too.” Ali referred to these bouts vs Frazier as near death experiences. This rivalry proved that all malice was left in the ring and that the sport of boxing holds all accountable of their words, especially Muhammad Ali.

The sport of boxing has added a tremendous amount of positivity to the world from its historical origins, complex rules, and surprising health benefits to its incredible athletes and icons it produces to finally the matchups which shape the world both fiscally and metaphorically. The reason to keep and remember boxing is because it is an integral part of society’s shift into professional sports and without boxing then brute force and combat sports would not nearly have as much regulation and damage would be collateral. The next time one watches a match of boxing, he/she must remember they are not just quite literally watching brutal combat but watching the showcase of skills and a rare form of art being practiced which may not be present years later.

I should start this essay by saying that one of my good friends is a professional boxer about to compete in his first championship match and like his father, himself a former commonwealth boxing champion, he has a love and passion for the sport that as his friend I support and wish him well. However, I believe boxing is a barbaric, cruel and as outdated of a sport as fox hunting or cock fighting.

Boxing is a sport as old as time, a popular sport in ancient Rome the sport died out after the fall of the Roman Empire. However, in the 18th Century boxing was revived in London in the form of bare-knuckle prize fights in which the contestants fought for money and the spectators made wagers on the outcome. In 1857 the Queensberry rules that we follow today were drawn up finally outlawing bare knuckle fighting for good. Yet today, arguments as to its recognition as a sport are still a common occurrence among sports enthusiasts and the public alike.

Many boxers have suffered serious injury, brain damage and even death. Supporters of the sport point out that these can also be the consequences of a game of football or rugby. Many would say that this justifies boxing.

Boxing has a long history, a history of many superior battles of body and mind and of exhibitions of the limits of human strength and a history of lives being taken for entertainment. However, for many people boxing is their life. With many boxers coming from backgrounds with little opportunity, discovering boxing has given them something they can do well. Furthermore, boxing legally satisfies a hunger amongst humans for the crudest form of physical competition.

Moreover, many boxing enthusiasts would even question the singling out of their sport for such a debate. Boxing they argue, cannot be viewed any more dangerous, or damaging, than activities such as Formula one, wrestling or motorcycle racing. In fact, competitors in most sports face dangers which could result in serious injury or death. Those who oppose boxing however think that there is a great difference between the injuries and deaths in boxing and those sustained in other sports.

Since the introduction of Queensberry’s Rules, supposed to make boxing safer, over five hundred deaths have occurred as a direct result of boxing. Only two short years ago, at a hotel in Glasgow city centre a young boxer, Mike Towell, was knocked unconscious in the middle of the ring on live tv, a day later passing away in hospital. Leaving behind a grief-stricken family and a son who will grow up without his father.

Nevertheless, deaths and other injuries do occur in other sports. Importantly, though, there is a difference between these other sports and boxing. When there is an injury in a sport such as rugby or football, it has been caused through the breaking of rules or by accident. In boxing, on the other hand, the main aim of the boxer is to render his opponent unconscious.

Another argument put forward by supporters of boxing, is that It can be used to teach young people respect and discipline. Boxing teaches discipline in many ways. They will have a trainer that they have to respect and listen to. They will need to maintain work out and diet routines. And according to some supporter’s young people who learn boxing tend to not bully others and do not engage in playground fighting. However, critics say there are other non-violent ways to achieve the same results.

In summary, it is my opinion that boxing is outdated, barbaric and extremely dangerous sport that I should be banned. Despite the positives that boxing does bring to a society, it is heavily outweighed by the large number of death and serious injuries that can and do occur.

Over the past few decades, sports, in general, have seen a major improvement in taking safety precautions in dangerous contact sports like rugby and amateur boxing. More young professionals are wearing headgear to help protect themselves from crucial head injuries which could heavily affect their future and could lead to early retirement.

However, are these safety precautions actually working and doing their job in protecting these young and up incoming athletes. Well, some scientific studies have shown that yes they work in some aspects but they also are not and are in fact causing more issues than fixing them. The headgear themselves are more beneficial in different sports such as rugby but in other sports, like amateur Boxing, they are only causing problems.

For the first time in twenty-four years, the Olympics made the decision to get rid of headgear in boxing, as this made it look a lot more like the professional boxing spectators are used to rather than the usual amateur style we have become accustomed to. This decision was made by the International Boxing Association (AINA) where they said that this decision came down to safety. The referees who were in control of each fight were forced to stop more fights due to head injuries (especially concussions) occurring mid-fight. The strange thing about this is that it was happening a lot more frequently when the fighters were wearing headgear than without it.

Cynthia Bir, a highly qualified professor in emergency medicine at the Southern California University said that the rule change was rather surprising for a lot of people and that there’s still lots of research that needs to be done. The surprising thing is that she is part of the research department who evaluates boxing equipment for USA Boxing. For her to say that there is still a lot to learn in the protection of the headgear shows that there is room for improvement and headgear could still make a return in future events.

Some of the main causes for the headgear not being very useful are that the foam padding isn’t very protective against heavy blows and are still prone to the risk of head injuries when in use. The fighter’s jaws are also still exposed to punches which lead to concussions as the head is whipped around which can cause serious damage to the brain. The headgear can also obstruct the fighter’s view causing the fighters to feel a false sense of security when they are fighting and will only make punches harder to dodge. Another theory is that fighters will take more risks due to them thinking that they are more protected with the headgear which of course will lead to them being punched more leading to a potential head injury.

It’s especially hard to study the headgear’s effectiveness due to how much damage the heavy blows can cause to each individual person. A single punch could affect one person differently from another as it may cause more damage in one person but then may do very little to someone else, due to people having different head and neck structures.

Another thing to think about though is concussions aren’t the only severe head injuries boxers can get. They can also suffer from long term consequences after receiving constant head trauma after receiving multiple heavy blows from each fight. The constant blows don’t take an immediate effect but they could also lead to a brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or, CTE. The disease continues to develop and become worse over time. CTE can also lead to many different disabilities and conditions such as Dementia, Parkinsonism and Anxiety.

So overall in Amateur Boxing, the headgear is proving to be a liability inside the ring as the young athletes still suffer from dangerous head and neck injuries as well as long term illness. However there is still lots of research needed for the headgear to be what it needs to be, so it may take some time but they will definitely make a return in the future.

In Rugby, it is a totally different story as it has been shown that headgear is actually saving the players from early retirement and making their lives after their career much healthier as they won’t suffer from any major brain diseases. Even scientists have decided that headgear should be made essential in the sport as it has been studied that the headgear can almost reduce the force on player’s heads by an amazing 50%.

The study took place at the University of Dundee where a rugby team was tested while wearing different pieces of equipment on their heads. It was recorded that there was a 47% reduction on the impact caused to the player’s heads when using the equipment. The study showed that even the least effective pieces of equipment used made a serious difference in the amount of impact and damage caused to the player’s heads as well as preventing any injuries.

Following the scientist’s studies, they are now trying to make the headgear mandatory in both amateur and professional rugby as it will severely decrease the amount of head and neck injuries caused to players on the field.

Professor Rami Abboud, from the University of Dundee, had his own say on the head injuries that occur in rugby. “The issue of head injuries in rugby, such as concussions, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with players often exposed to extreme forces.”

This story on Rugby safety is the total opposite from the one in amateur boxing. The comparison shows both the good and bad sides of wearing ‘safety’ headgear. In boxing, it only causes more problems for the young athletes but in Rugby, the headgear is helping both young and older players from suffering from major head and neck injuries.

But what happens to the retired athletes who have experienced major injuries to the head and brain? Well the NHL is the perfect example, as it was hit with a massive lawsuit from over 300 retired players who experienced head injuries while competing in the league. The players said that the league failed to protect them from the injuries and didn’t warn them of the possible outcomes.

The lawsuit was carried out in a federal court in the State of Minnesota, which is one of the largest in league history. In total, the settlement was worth approximately $19 million. This sounds like a lot but actually, it’s not especially compared to the National Football League. The NFL had the same sort of lawsuit with retired players however they agreed on a staggering one billion dollars to go towards medical treatment and just a sum of money as an apology.

Introduction

A literature review is the process that critically analyzes various reports, books, writing and journal and find out methodological and theoretical concepts related to a specific topic or subject that has been discussed and on which the papers have projected their views (Hart, 2018). This literature review will discuss about the everyday racism in sports and the methods that can be applied to stop this. Racism in simple words is the belief of a particular race or nation that they are above another race. The racism has always dominated some particular races in every sector of the society. Factors including political systems, social actions, religious views and biological differences have given birth of the belief of racism in people’s mind (Frisby, 2018). For a prolonged period of time racism in sport has affected the madness related to sport. The white-native particular racism has also affected the fans of the sport. According to the reports of HREOC (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity) the racial abuse and condemnation is very common in international sports. As per the reports of Hylton (2018) the nations that are mostly affected by the racism in sports are Australia, Europe and America. Hence the sport authorities, fans related to the sport and the people have to take initiatives to reduce racism in sport.

Racism in Football

Overview

Footballers from British origin have faced racism for a long period of time which is still happening to some extent. In recent times several incident has questioned the safety of footballers in ground (Caine and Myers, 2017). According to Kuhn (2019) in 1990s the race discrimination was so worst that the Asian and African fans of international football were not allowed to watch matches or meet their favorite footballers. These incidents of discrimination were caused by the fellow fans. As per the reports of Csato (2019) in recent times in a qualifier match of Euro Cup 2020 in Bulgaria the Bulgarian fans shouted harassing racist words to some other outsider fans. Due to this the match was stopped for more than two times and at the end the authority arrested four of them. Goff (2018) states that the incidents related to the racism in sport have hiked to 67% in 2018 that has significantly identified in professional games. Sometimes the referees also face negative approaches by the fans if they take any decision and that is not satisfactory to the supporters of the team. According to the reports of Ross (2018) Joel Mannix projected his view on racism in sports. He recalls an incident and states that the decision he took during the game might be wrong, but the fans should have been more careful about their behavior. Apart from this a player Northern Ireland named Josh Magennis who was great striker has invoked “paper trails” for football tickets as he faced a lot of instances while playing professional games in football. After facing such situations the organizations and authorities related to this sport have created the biggest and new being in 1996 that is known as Show Racism the Red Card Kingett et al,. (2017) states. The Federation International de Football Association regularly conducts campaigns which make the people and the fans aware so that they can “say no to racism” said Singer (2017). Thus FIFA has made commitment to fight against racism. Few years ago FIFA also conducted a campaign where it brought a couple of footballers who have a worldwide fan base and urged them to project their views on racism in sport and how they have experienced it in ground while playing games at a professional level. However racism in association football or soccer refers to the abuse of player because of their nationality, body structure, skin color or ethnicity. According to Breen, (2017) sometimes players are also been abused because of their association with football clubs and other players. There are several incidents where a player was criticized or abused by their own supporters who belong to the same country. As per the study of Cleland (2015) the study of racism in association football is much popular in Europe and Russia. Nonetheless the incidents of racism in sports are quite natural in almost every country in the world. In order to reduce the racist incidents in international football matches FIFA announced new measures that will fight against the racism in sport. Last year in October 2018 Antonio Rudiger who became the victim of racism in an international match urged the global authority of football FIFA to look after their rules and regulation carefully. Therefore in 2019 the president of UEFA (Union of European Football Association) Aleksander Ceferin urged the referees to stop the game if they any racist chants to the players or other fans. On the other hand FIFA president Gianni Infantino has projected ‘harsh sanctions’ in order to deal with racism in sport said Mohammad (2018).

Impact of Racism in Football and its Example

Racism is one of the most vulnerable issues that are widely affecting the society. Spaaji, (2019) said that the entrance of racism in sports has therefore ruined the sports culture and discouraged the players who are associated with the sport. Some of the football players believe that the sports associations and leagues are constantly making the situations worst when they are dealing with the problem Weinberg and Gould, (2018) said. Racism in football has created a significant impact on the UK’s sport environment. UK’s Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the FSA (Football Supporters Association) have taken initiative to stop racism in sport in UK Nathan, (2016) stated. UK’s Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA) has also helped them to reduce the incidents related to racism in sport and football. The primary concern of the organization is to encourage the fans that belong to the minority part. Premier League in 2019 launched a new initiative which is known as ‘no room for racism’. The successful projection of this new idea was seen in the matches that were played in between 19th to 27th of October, 2019 Lee Ludvigsen, (2019) stated. ‘The first black professional player from Ghana named Arthur Wharton played as a goalkeeper in Darlington. But reports including Nayak, (2016) and Jarvie, (2017) state that Andrew Watson a Scottish newcomer footballer and played for England footballer faced racial chants for several times. The list therefore includes the name of Hong Y Soo and Walter Tull who are non-white footballers and played for England. All four of them were non-English footballers who played professional games for England said Cleland and Cashmore, (2016). One of the most renowned football clubs, Everton had a centre-forward player whose name was Dixie Dean. A report of Eitzen, (2016) states that Dixie Dean faced a racist chant when as soon as he left the ground and was going towards the dressing room. When Dean heard the word he repeatedly punched the person and the football authority had taken no strong actions against. A police officer who was the eye witness of that incident later told that person that he had received what he deserved Eitzen (2016) said. The flexibility in the football authority of England is very therefore. They know what is wrong and how the people should be aware of it. Another report of () states that one of the most popular player Luis Suarez who was the player of Liverpool then was accused because of abusing Patrice Evra, playing for Manchester United, because of his skin colour Gardiner, (2015) said. This incident took place on 15th October and on December 20 FIFA charged a penalty of £ 40,000 and banned him for 8 international matches Gardiner, (2015) said. As per the study of Galeno, (2018) Suarez tried his best to defend himself but football association did not listen to him at all. But this incident also created a bad impact on the international football. Just after this incident of Suarez his mates from Liverpool wore a t-shirt to support him. Jamie Carragher the English player who played for Liverpool too apologized for this incident. There are two other incidents that took place in the same year. On 23rd October a match was being played by QPR (Queens Park Rangers) and Chelsea. During the match QRP’s player Anton Ferdinand abused the captain of Chelsea by uttering some racist chants that included verbal abuse too. Soon after the incident the Metropolitan Police accused him and a formal investigation was alleged against him. This year in February Two of the Burnley fans were alleged because of using strong words against Gaetan Bong who plays for Brighton. They also used offensive words against the fans of the clubs. Therefore strong actions were taken against them. Just after this incident Phillip Billing faced some racial abuse on social media and this was reported to police. According to the reports of Nitsch, (2019) in July 2019 the racial abuse in football has hiked by 43% within the 2018-2019 football session. After that month in August Chelsea banned one of its fans who abused Raheem Sterling. Some other footballer including Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Tommy Abraham and Marcus Rashford have faced several incidents of racism while playing games at international and professional level said Farrington et al,. (2017).

Footballers Responses to Racism in Sports

Football is plays by millions and there are so many individuals who are being accused every day. Some of these incidents appear in news and some are not (Simon, 2018). There are a number of footballers who have faced racism at least once in his or her life. Although the football associations and other organization but the aggressive mentality of the fan and the players has risen the racist activities and this is still increasing. According the reports of Ansell, (2016) British player Dominic Calvert-Lewin who plays for Everton has stated in order to fight against racism it is really essential to stand together and combat against it. Lewin also believes that the unity in players and the fans will be helpful to erase racism from sport. Lewin also added that racism discourages the taste of game (Burdsey, 2017). According to Lewin it is not tough at all to fight against racism. Another footballer whose name is Alex Kiwomya has also projected his views on racism in sports. Alexander Kiwomya is also an English player who is against racism in sport (Doidge, 2015). Kiwomya has said that the racist elements that are frequently used by the football fans and sometimes by the opponent players actually affect the players and that creates a negative impact on the player’s mind. Not only men footballers but female footballers have also accused racism as the harmful element in sports. Gabrielle George is one of most popular female footballers in England. In a widely accessed social media platform called twitter George told that while playing the qualifying match of EuroCup 2020 the female football team of UK faced tremendous racist chanting in the ground. This shows how the hike in racism in sport is affecting the mentality of players. Therefore the people should be more careful about their and have to assure the players that they will not receive any unchecked word from the gallery. Fans and players have to be careful regarding their behavior and support the anti-racism campaigns held by various organizations to reduce the number of incidents related to racism in sports. Also the individual who support racism must be punished Farquharson et al,. (2019) stated.

Racism in Boxing

Boxing and Racism – A Brief History

Boxing is another popular game that has a worldwide fan base. While talking about racism in sports how one can keep boxing aside? As per the reports of Mondragón, (2018) retired world heavyweight boxing champion named Tyson Fury sated that when he was an ammeter in earlier life he faced a lot of criticism and racist chants. Therefore race and racism has always been the central idea of promotional campaign in boxing fights. From the very first of boxing era maximum athletes have represented their adapted nations or so called natives in the competition. Competition therefore provoked the ‘race’. Till the 20th century it was the nations with a large population used to organize sports competition. This nation mainly included Australia and United States of America. These two nations were widely popular in organizing boxing competitions (Gold and Gold, 2016). Irish boxer Tommy Burns was the world champion in heavyweight boxing at that time. But soon after that when that when Jack Johnson participated in boxing and won the crown of heavy weight boxing championship. According to Martin, (2015) the wining of Jack Johnson took the racism in boxing to another level. It was completely unbelievable for some people that an African American player had taken the crown from a white person. After that particular incident Jack Johnson faced many English men inside the ring. This happened because of his enormous talent and ostentations personality. Therefore he not only highlighted the black superiority but also sustained his place in the world. Reports of Woodward, (2015) and Colón, (2018) state that in spite of such fights Jack never had intimidated with any white men. However Johnson is the most popular black fighters who fought against white-men. Nonetheless after this incident USA forbade many of the black boxers to perform or fight against the white competitors inside the ring Teresa (2017) said. The winning of Johnson somehow created a fearing approach in the peoples’ mind. In the last decade a man named George Dixon became the first ever black boxer by winning the trophy of championship in ant-weight boxing fight Winders, (2016) stated. The origin of Dixon was Halifax, Nova Scotia and he was also the first Canadian boxer who fought against the English boxer Nunc Wallace and knocked him down in London and became the bantamweight boxing champion. He had a height of on 5 feet and 3 inches therefore he was called as ‘little chocolate’. Now it is quite obvious that his height was not only the reason behind his nickname. The term chocolate actually referred to the skin color of his body (Davey, 2018). In earlier days racism was very natural in boxing and this happened because of the government policies, pseudoscience and philosophy of the nation. But the winning of Jack Johnson as defined by the reports and promoters of American boxing saw the winning of black against white. Another significant example is Muhammad Ali who is probably the most famous boxer in the history of boxing so far. Ali fought almost 61 matches and won 56 out of them. Although Ali was born in USA still he faced a lot of criticism and racist chants because of his body color. He also faced criticism because of his religion Myers, (2016) stated.

Reduction of Racial Epithets

However, in recent timers the racial epithets in UK have become significantly lower in professional boxing. UK has played a significant role in reducing the incidents of racism in boxing. The ‘KO Racism’ campaign in UK has made a remarkable effect on this. Back, (2017) stated that the KO Racism campaign is mainly a social media campaign or awareness workshop which will encourage the people to watch boxing matches and not to comment on someone’s skin color. This campaign has generated by Limehouse Boxing Academy. The co founder of this academy has stated that they have achieved a good response from the students. Therefore it is possible to make people aware of the bad impact of racism on the society and it has to be reduced. According to Jump, (2015) UK has always been a supportive place in boxing. Apart from that the government of UK with the help of some organization who are fighting against racism in recent times has set up some new rules and regulations to reduce the chances of racist incident in UK. According to the government of UK people who support the racist acts will be strictly punished and racist acts are against the law. There are a number of organizations that are fighting against the racism in sports Kivel (2017) stated. Therefore it can be expected that with the help of several rules and regulation it will be easier to reduce the racist activities in sports especially in boxing.

Responses of Athletes

There are several boxers who have disclosed their thoughts related to the racist activities in boxing. Charlie Edward is one of them. Charlie Edward is a professional boxer originated from England. While talking about racism Edward stated that in case of sports racism should not be a big issue. Sometimes racist chants provoke the athletes and therefore they can harm the opponent physical (Edwards, 2017). Therefore the athletes should be careful and calm regarding their attitude. Also the fans and audience of the game have to maintain the discipline during the game. Anthony Tomlison another renowned boxer in UK has also criticized racism (Reeves et al,. 2015). He said that the racism in game actually polarizes the audience and therefore they become aggressive. While concentration on game it game it is really tough for an athlete to focus if such racist chants are shouted. Ryan Rhodes was also a remarkable boxer who has retired recently. Rhodes is strictly against of racism and has criticized it for several times. Unfortunately, during and boxing game event a player faced a racial abuse shouted by an audience (Moore, 2017). As Rhodes was the host of that show he criticized that incident and apologized to all. Not only the players but there are several individual who love sport and hate the presence of racism in sports.

Conclusion

To draw conclusion on this literature review related to racism in sport it can be stated that racism creates a negative impact on the mind of players and the audience. This work has discussed about several issues related to the racism in sport. At first it has discussed about the racism and its effect on football. It has depicted some of the renowned footballers who faced racism and fought against it. It has also discussed about footballers views on racism and its effect on the game. This followed the process how the incidents of racism can be reduced if the audience and the players fight against it. The main objective to stop racism in sports is to create a friendly and familial atmosphere among the viewers of the match. In the next part the work has discussed about the history of racism in boxing. It has also described how boxing is disrupted by the racial activities of some individual who have anger on a specific race. It has picked up examples that show how renowned boxers faced criticism in their life. It has also discussed about the rules and regulations that the government is taking along with some organizations in order to reduce the acts of racism. Lastly it has provided the views of UK boxers on racism and how they dislike it.

Tracing the emergence of boxing is a difficult task (Murphy and Sheard, 2006, and Sugden, 1996). Most historical accounts required in order to do this are not available. However, even with these difficulties, this essay will attempt to assess how prize fighting emerged and what occurred in society for boxing to develop from prize fighting in the working class to the modern popular sport we have today. The changes and adaptations prize fighting made to the rules and regulations in order to fit into society will be addressed and to what degree Elias’ and Dunnings’ (1896) concept of the civilising process controlled and added significance to the development of boxing and how this development affected society will be addressed.

Sport is a product of culture and society; what is accepted as a sport in one time and place may not be seen as such in another (Sugden, 1996). Tranter (1998) argues some sports and activities that occur in the modern day still have characteristics of popular recreational activities therefore showing comparison to which sports were fashionable in pre-industrial society. He goes on to argue that prize fighting was one of these sports and became widely popular in 1790 with little signs of declining until 1840 because the sport reflected the culture and the harshness of eighteenth century rural life. Deterioration of prize fighting was expected due to changing attitudes towards violence in society no longer coinciding with the cruel and violent nature of the unruly blood sport (Tranter, 1998). Downing (2010) explains how Elias and Dunning refer to this change as the civilising process. Molnár & Kelly (2013) explain the civilising process to be the idea that ‘there is a link between the long-term structural development of societies and changes in people’s social behaviour and habitus’, a social concept which was accepted by everyone in society to be respectable (Molnár & Kelly, 2013, p.137 and Downing, 2010).

Boxing as prize fighting has been used as forms of self-defence for centuries. Its earlier years are seen cruel and harsh by today’s society; however, the ancient Greeks and Romans used this style of fighting as a reflection to their moral and ethical values which mirror blood, brutality and roughness. In order to understand why contemporary boxing is the way it is today, it is essential to explore the emergence of boxing to understand the current structure of figuration.

Murray (2008) identified that the origins of boxing can be traced back to the ancient Mesopotamia period. However, given that boxing is simply punching an opponent with one’s fist, and is seen as a necessary need for survival, it should be a much older sport (Murray, 2008). Murphy and Sheard (2006) have explained that much of the evidence to trace boxing back further is not accessible. Anderson (2007) has recognised one of the first reports of a prize fight to be between the Ancient Greeks at The Funeral Games around 1184BC. He discussed how the Greeks required this essential release through prize fighting because of the society’s violent and harsh culture. Anderson (2007) describes the Greeks to be cultured enough in the art of prize fighting and the techniques needed to recognise this sport as an exhaustive test of cardiovascular and muscular endurance and skill. In addition to Anderson (2007), Golden (1998) explains how the Greeks correctly judged prize fighting to be a sport that is very physically demanding and causes the most bodily harm and damage. Anderson (2007) goes on to explain that to ensure sports fans got their money’s worth of the fight, the law provided an immunity clause for those fatal homicide accidents during fights. Such contenders were aware that these fatal accidents that appeared in prize fights were a risk to the sport. The significance this clause held is that if fighters were to be held responsible and charged over ring deaths then the amount of fighters would have reduced as would the spectators and the sport would not have been able to develop to modern boxing without this initial clause.

Sugden (1996) found that a Roman bare-knuckle fight held little comparison to the fights the ancient Greeks held. He demonstrates that accounts of these fights can be found in the Roman literature which arose after the Glorious revolution of 1688, where King James II was dethroned, giving parliament more power over than the monarch and the emergence of a political democracy began, allowing the re-emergence of blood sports, including boxing. Sugden (1996) is sure that boxing started to develop in the seventeenth century as a leisure pastime sport. He further reports that the Romans developed their sports structure from the Greek athleticism cult with it eventually reaching the contrary form of the gladiatorial events. This blood lust from the spectators allowed the development from bare knuckle fights to the addition of the caestus (Sugden, 1996). Collins, Hauser and Krystal (2020) mention a caestus to be a leather glove the Romans used to inflict more pain and blood onto their opponent. It could have spikes and metal sewn into the leather and was worn like a gauntlet (Collins, Hauser & Krystal, 2020). Anderson (2007) found that like the Greeks, the Romans authorised killings in the colosseum, such deaths were seen as deaths by mishap and the opponent could not be held accountable. He continues to explain that prize fighting was respected by the Romans, they acknowledged the level of its integrity and masculinity. Therefore, a rule was created that to hit an opponent that could not defend himself was seen to be disreputable and did not coincide with the ethos of the sport (Anderson, 2007). Anderson here has shown how society has developed enough to know the difference between fair play and winning at all costs. Both Sugden (1996) and Anderson (2007) have reported that the upper class Romans trained gladiators in both armed and unarmed battles in sponsored specialised training facilities. Similarities can be seen here with the modern equivalent of boxing: the gladiator colosseum, spectators, training facilities, the addition of the caestus etc. can all be viewed as precursors to the modern day sport.

Anderson (2007), Young (2000) and Guttmann (2000) note how the English interest in sport had violent themes. The character of England’s medieval sports was aided through the societal need to be regularly intoxicated and carry weapons in their day to day life (Anderson, 2007 and Koskivirta, Forsstrom & McAlester, 2005). Guttmann (1981) found that boxing in England was able to take an advantage to King Henry VIII’s ascent to power. He continues to discuss how Henry VIII’s approving judgement of sporting activities mirrored his individual attraction to sport and the slow development of other popular recreational activities that had begun to take a more organised and socially acceptable practice. Such views on boxing and other sports were displayed in the growth of confidence and increased safety of the English realm (Anderson, 2007 and Guttmann 2981). The nature of boxing at the time is best shown through the Whitsun Games of Devonshire village where boxing was the most dominating event of the games (Brailsford, 2007). Brailsford (2007) speculates that the restorations of the new calmer social norms enhanced the re-emergence of violent sports and boxing grew from this by taking advantage from the restoration.

Ernoehazy (2007) mentions how by the end of the seventeenth century, boxing’s increased fame and occurrence of organised fights was being shown in newspaper reports. He clarifies how boxing re-emerged in England with fights being attended to at the Royal theatre of London. Boxing as an organised, spectator sport had vastly grown in recognition and the violent gladiator bare knuckle fights had vanished with the collapse of the Roman empire (Ernoehazy, 2007). Murphy and Sheard (2006) reported how Elias had shown attention to the emergence of today’s contemporary boxing due to the distinctive difference from the gladiator style prize fights of the Romans and the Ancient Greeks. They argued that this development of boxing was based on the sportization process that surfaced in the eighteenth century.

Boxing has been evident, as prize fighting, through both Greek and Roman times. However, a myth arose that a gentleman called James Figg became the first person to create the sport (Anderson, 2007). James Figg was recognised as a champion of England for being a talented fighter and coach however he did not create the sport, he was ‘the first person to commercialise boxing and to develop it as a business. (Sheard, 2004). Figgs’ skilful fighting talents motivated gentlemen to learn how to fight and the public’s opinion on boxing started to have a positive effect on society. This was shown by the increased number of spectators and sponsors at the events that the academy held (Anderson, 2007). From this increased demand to learn how to self-defence, Figg started his own boxing academy in 1719. This was a significant part of the civilising process. Downing (2010) found that these boxing events had a social class mix of spectators in the audience. She goes on to argue how this mix of social classes was the start for the developing idea of a British man. Sheard (2004) found that learning how to self-defence rather than using guns and other weapons became fashionable at this time. The upper class men wanted to learn how to fight in order to attack men, not just for self-defence. Regardless of this, this new trend was forcing boxing to become more civilised from the increased popularity the sport was bringing. Sheard (2004) mentions that Elias’s argument, for these new developments, was that Britain’s period of violence was ending. The end of this period had significant effects for the increasing civilisation of boxing and other pastime sports in the early eighteenth century. Society was looking for more sophisticated methods to solve conflict (Downing, 2010). From this increased need of tutors, James Figgs’ business grew among the aristocracy and the young gentry. These young men gained an interest in boxing through the lessons taught by Figg, however they would not want to participate because they could not chance being beaten and bruised (Anderson, 2007). The upper class would instead spectate fights, gamble on them and sponsor a fighter themselves. By these methods they were still involved in the fights and gained as much thrill from spectating on the outside as the lower class fighters (Sheard, 2004)

James Figg was an important aspect for the increasing development of boxing. His academies, and the demand to learn self-defence, allowed the upper class to get involved with the sport from the outside and gain as much excitement as the fighters.

In the eighteenth century, prize fighting began to move from urban to rural settings (Murphy and Sheard 2006 and Sheard 2004). Murphy and Sheard (2006) found that before the movement began, boxing theatres had begun to emerge where an audience could be formed and were able to gamble on the events. Murphy and Sheard continue to suggest that both the fighters and the people that built this new business would benefit from these events. Having boxing theatres limited injury to the fighters and allowed a fee to be charged for spectators to view the events (Downing, 2010 and Murphy and Sheard 2006). Such advantages created a more controlled structure to prize fighting. This new form of exhibition boxing held the possibility that events would become easy to foretell, making them mundane for the audience and ultimately did not fit the initial gambling purpose with which it was intended for (Sheard, 2004). The significance gambling held, especially in this time period, cannot be ignored. Remembering the Broughton rule change in 1747 was brought forwards to preserve the attraction that betting contributed to events, and not for the medical concerns for the fighters. Sheard (2004) argues that if prize fighting continued this path in urban areas then the end result of boxing may have been safer for the fighters. On the other hand, boxing may have also ended a lot sooner without the income that gambling used to bring income into the sport. Downing (2010) adds to Sheard (2004) and argues that had these urban boxing theatres become secure in the urban environment then boxing might have become a sport comparable to wrestling, where it’s there for more fun and enjoyment of the production than an actual sport. In order to sidestep the restrictions of the urban setting, exhibition boxing moved to rural areas. Here, the less honourable gentleman of the elite and upper class regulated and managed the events. The movement allowed prize fighting to resume and establish as a means of gambling (Anderson, 2007). This movement was a significant part for the development of contemporary modern boxing. It provided both boxing and the new exhibition prize fighting with higher chances of eventually developing into sports.

Modern day people of society see boxing as harsh and cruel and do not think that boxing is worthy enough to be named a sport (Murphy and Sheard, 2006). How can a sport, that is still seen as cruel and violent, have already been through the civilising process? It is important to understand how much modern day boxing has developed from its prize fighting years. Sheard (2004) explains how the culture and ethics of boxing in the Greeks and Romans time was established from their standards, basing boxing on notions of honour and masculinity and not with sportsmanship or fair play (Sheard, 2004). He continues to argue how since the late eighteenth century, the rules and regulations administering the sport have become more protective in order to restrict the violence in the sport. Each set of new rules, alongside the adoption of a parliamentary system of government, had significant effects on the sportization process of boxing (Sheard, 2004).

In 1743, the Broughton rules were the first set of written rules to be introduced into boxing (Jordan, 1993). Jordan suggests that Jack Broughton implemented these rules for the fighter’s protection in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. The rule explained that if a fighter could not carry on fighting after a 30 second count, the fight would be ended, and their opponent would be made the winner. This was the first sign of the sport becoming more controlled and regulated (‘The Evolution of the Boxer’, 2018). Broughton also expressed the need for mufflers, a form of padded gloves, to protect the boxers from harm during training. This whole set of new rules disallowed certain punching methods in an attempt to control what violence was allowed (Sheard, 2004).

Following the Broughton rules, the London prize ring rules developed in 1839 (Jordan,1993). This rule change changed the size of the ring separating the spectators by ropes. If a fighter got knocked down, they would have a 30 second rest till the fight restarted in the middle of the ring. Punching below the waist was now a disallowed move, as was eye gouging and head butting (Billinge, 2018). These London prize rules also included that if a fighter was to not abide by the rules then they would be penalised (Billinge, 2018).

Written in London 1865 and established in 1867, the Marquess of Queensbury rules was the first to include boxing gloves in all fights for amateurs and professionals. If the gloves became damaged during a fight, to tear or blow, then they would have had to be changed to another pair that had the referee’s approval. These rules controlled violence in the fights even more. Having referees protected the fighters from becoming too hurt and defenceless. Wrestling, hugging and shoes with springs were no longer allowed. The count for the fighter, if knocked down, to stand up without any help was reduced from 30 to 10 seconds and the length of round reduced to 3 minutes (‘The Marquess of Queensbury Rules’, 2015 and ‘Marquess of Queensberry rules’, 2018). Murphy and Sheard (2006) and Sheard (2004) discuss that after the establishment of the Queensbury rules, an attempt towards fair play for all fighters was introduced. The addition of weight divisions allowed fighters to use skill rather than size to defeat their opponent (Murphy and Sheard 2006 and Sheard 2004). These rules were formed to make the sport more attractive to the middle class and to remove its association with street fighting (Boddy, 2005).

Amateur Boxing Association (ABA), known since 2013 as England Boxing, was founded in 1880 by the prime London clubs at the time. The clubs needed an organisation that would aid the expansion of boxing and who would create boxing fixtures and provide rewards for the winners. Since the development of the association, ABA has governed the rules for all boxing events which are associated with them (‘Our History – England Boxing’, 2019). The ABA introduced drug testing into boxing to encourage fair play and integrity first in 1985.

Each of these rule changes helped the civilisation process of boxing. By decreasing the damage inflicted on the fighters, regulating more through an official referee, the introduction of weight divisions all developed prize fighting into the modern sport of boxing that society has today. In the modern society boxing may still be perceived as violent, however when compared to what prize fighting used to be like before the first set of rules, it is simple to see the adaptations that have been made to the sport in order for it to reflect the nature of the current society.

Elias used the civilising process to find a trend that could explain changes in the development of society (Roberts, 2009). The main discussion in the civilising process is how over subsequent years western culture became more ordered by individuals changing how they act in certain situations, society began to channel their emotions internally rather than externally (Roberts, 2009).

Boxing comprises of one opponent engaging in punching the other opponent with fists. It can be said that although Boxing is a sport, it is a violent one to say the least. Boxing was previously known as Pugilism . It derives from Latin and can be translated to the sport of fighting with clenched fists. Boxing has advanced from fist fights in the streets to a calculated and precise sport in the ring which requires rigorous training and a clear-cut nutrition plan. Although there are rules and regulation in place to govern boxing , it could be said that boxing is too violent even after centuries of existence . Due to the nature of contact sports such as boxing, competitors have a high probability of injury but participation in such sports gives rise to consent to risk of injury including GBH. However, it is important to note that assault that occurs outside the rules of the sport will be an offence. This essay will begin a comprehensive analysis into the issues encompassing the combability of physical contact within boxing from a legal perspective, drawing upon consent and the different consequences of physical contact within the ring and outside it. In whole, the legality of boxing. This essay will also denote that consent within boxing is prima facie and will also explore the mark at which consent goes beyond the rules of boxing.

The main problem is how to justify physical contact in boxing where it is lawful, unless outside the scope of the rules , in comparison to physical contact outside the ring, where it is not only deemed as assault but could also be deemed as affray . The authority used in regard to the subject of consent of assault is R v Coney . The court stated in Coney that ‘assaults that occur during bare knuckle prize fighting is subject to criminal prosecution’ . It is of paramount importance to note that defendants in this case were spectators and had no participation in the fight. Regardless of this, it was stated by Stephen J that, ‘consent of the parties to the blows which they mutually receive does not prevent those blows from being assaults . With regards to consent, Coney was a leading case and very unique due to the fact that the three defendants in this case were in fact just spectators and did not actually participate in the fight. Having said that, the court ruled that spectators present at fights are ‘deemed to be guilty of assault’ Therefore, it is evident that one’s presence at an event such as this was enough for it to be deemed as unlawful.

Attorney General Reference No 6 of 1980 , involved two youths aged 17 and 18 respectively. They both agreed to settle their argument with a fight on a public street. Similarly to Coney, even though they both consented to the fight, the court held that a person cannot consent to a fight. Physical contact occurs in any fight and if one cannot consent to a fight, this therefore has an adverse effect on boxing and its compatibility with the law. One could argue that boxing is in fact unlawful. The case of R v Brown can be used to help understand the legality of physical contact in boxing. This involved a group of men who were involved in sadomasochistic practices in private. Each of them was convicted of ‘unlawful and malicious wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm’, even though they had each consented to the sexual acts . Lord Templeman allowed clarity in the issues regarding consent and made it clear that consent to assault that intentionally causes bodily harm is prima facie unlawful unless it is regarding ‘…ear piercing and violent sports including boxing’, which are the only exceptions.

Notwithstanding, this exception could mean that not only boxers, but athletes in a variety of contact sports will have an assumption that consent reduces criminal accountability with assault. If physical contact goes beyond the rules of the sport, consent is no longer present and is therefore unlawful as substantiated in the Australian case of Pallante v Stadium Ply Ltd which states, ‘if a fight moves from being a ‘test of skill’ to being a ‘fight’, it becomes illegal ’ Despite boxing causing actual bodily harm, it is considered lawful as it is regulated by rules and is in public interest as demonstrated by Lord LL.J, where he states ‘nothing we have said is intended to cast doubt on the accepted legality of properly conducted games and sports… These apparent exceptions can be justified… as needed in the public interest ’ Therefore, there is an implied sporting consent that the law will not get involved in injuries caused in properly conducted games and sports. Violence is allowed through boxing because boxing is also in the public interest. It is important to clarify what makes an activity one that is in the public interest as mentioned in Brown and Coney, which will be touched upon later on in this essay.

In order for liability to occur in sports of a competitive nature, the claimant must be able to prove that the injury is beyond the rules of the game and the defendant failed to exercise a degree of care. The general rule for competitors who take part in a sport is that there is a general presumption of consent to risk of injury. This can be defined as volenti non fit injuria, which simply means, the assumption of risk. Similarly, the case of Condon v Basi exhibits the duty of care owed by one sportsperson to another. Here, the claimant suffered a broken leg as a result of a tackle made by the defendant. Whilst the claimant had accepted the risk of injury as a participant, they did not accept the risk of injury that occurs outside the rules of the game and the defendant was in breach of duty as the tackle was reckless and therefore held liable. It was also held in this case by Sir John Donaldson MR, that ‘the standard of care in competitive sports is objective in differencing sets of circumstances. A higher degree of care is required of a football player in a First Division football match than of a player in a local league football match .’ Similarly, in boxing, it could be said that there is a higher degree of duty for professional boxers in comparison to amateurs due to skill, hence why rules differ . Which begs the question of why so many professional boxers die every year , despite regulations being in place. This could connote that perhaps; boxing is not in fact compatible with the law.

The case of Watson v British Boxing Board Control substantiated that it is viable for an injured participant in sport to seek civil compensation for injuries obtained in a sport if the injury goes beyond the rules of the game. Watson claimed compensation against the British Boxing Board Control after he suffered brain damage in a bout against Chris Eubank. It was found that had there been medical treatment at ringside as soon as possible, the injuries sustained would not have been as severe. The duty of care in this case was the duty to ensure injuries obtained in the ring were treated ringside immediately .

It is important to explore and understand how compatible physical contact within boxing and boxing as a sport is with the law. Some would say boxing should be banned as it is not compatible and therefore breaking the rules, whereas others would argue that it is a sport that promotes positivity to all participants. First of all, it can be argued that Boxing is lawful because it is in fact a ‘sport’ and ‘properly conducted’ therefore it is in the public interest and one of the public policy grounds. Another one of the public policy grounds is that boxing promotes self-discipline and encourages a healthy society whilst providing advancement for young people from deprived backgrounds If Boxing was found to be unlawful and therefore banned, it would go underground due to the sheer popularity of it leading to even more issues because fights would operate outside governing bodies of the sport and many rules would be broken. Furthermore, if boxing was unlawful then that would render other contact sports such as Kickboxing or Karate unlawful and they too would face a ban. The impact this would have on the sport and individuals would be endless. Although it is a report based from US research, the US based centre for Disease Control Prevention states, ‘boxing provided the best mixture of exercise for people whose goal is to decrease their risk of obesity, heart disease, strike, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer’ It is evident that Boxing produces many positives to both participant and competitor and meets public ground policies. Despite the fact that death occurs in the boxing ring frequently, it’s not the only sport whereby death occurs as a result of the nature of the sport. In 2014, Australian cricketer, Philip Hughes, died from brain injury after being struck in the neck from a bowl This led to an uproar for better helmets to be provided although there was no call for cricket to be banned.

On the other hand, one could argue that boxing affects health negatively. Afterall, it is the only sport alongside with MMA that promotes intense physical contact with another human with the intention to seriously concuss them to the point where they cannot stand on their own two legs. We don’t see this level of physical contact with the intention to cause another person serious harm in other contact sports such as Rugby or Judo. It is hard to see how such a sport can be lawful and it also goes against the public policy ground of a healthy society. Since the start of Boxing and present day, there have been over 1500 deaths in the sport . When partaking in Boxing, the risk of brain damage is forever present due to the nature of repeatedly getting hit in the head, especially because professional boxers do not get protected head gear like amateur boxers. The problem surrounding the compatibility of physical contact in boxing and the law lies with professional boxing and not boxing as a whole. Professional boxing rules vary from country to country, reducing clarity regarding rules and regulations whereas amateur rules are consistent with all 190 AIBA affiliated countries . Furthermore, the highest level of amateur boxing consists of 4, 2-minutes rounds as in comparison to 12, 3-minute rounds in professional boxing . Longer rounds in the ring can increase the possibility of injury and the difference in not only the quantity of rounds but the length of rounds is vast. Moreover, professional boxers use 6, 8 and 10 oz gloves depending on the jurisdiction whereas amateur boxers use 10 oz gloves in all fights to cushion the impact of contact Referees are also instructed in amateur boxing bouts to enforce rules, with their number one priority being to protect the boxers but professional referees enforce prevailing the rules further encouraging violence and endangering participants. Finally, regarding the typical terms used within the respective sports, professional boxing which uses the terms: trainer, fighter and fight in comparison to amateur boxing typically uses the terms: coach, boxer and bout. Being described as a “fighter” as opposed to a “boxer” means the “fighter” is more likely to act accordingly and behave more aggressive based on the terms associated with being a “fighter”. For example, the ‘fighter’ is likely to deliver more powerful shots in line with what he has been described as which could be devastating to the opponent. Furthermore, the definition of a “bout” is a ‘short period of intense activity of any kind’ in comparison to a “fight” which is defined as ‘partaking in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows’. Thus, the definition of a “fight” as opposed to a “bout” is more likely to imply that the participant, or “fighter” in this case, is more likely to act in an aggressive manner. With that being said, the issue regarding the compatibility of boxing and the law is centred around professional boxing and not boxing as a whole. There is also a notion surrounding the correlation of brain damage and boxing. Although it has not been proved there is strong suggestion that it is possible In addition to this, boxing should not be lawful because it is also dangerous as there is the possibility for HIV to be transmitted if one boxers is carrying it and bleeds from trauma to the head. There needs to be a unified approach to HIV testing worldwide within boxing to ensure boxers cannot transmit such diseases and endanger other opponents.

Physical contact in boxing is compatible with the law. The problem regarding the legality of boxing lies within professional boxing. The law need not to get involved in boxing unless severe injuries during a boxing match have occurred that are deliberate, reckless and outside the rules and regulation of boxing. Where amateur boxing prevents such things occurring by limiting the number of rounds and having referees that protect the boxers, professional boxing does the complete opposite with longer rounds, protective headgear, larger size gloves and so on. As previously mentioned, when a boxer agrees to a fight and thus physical contact, they give consent to assault that falls within the rules of the game and not anything outside the rules as substantiated in R v Coney respectively, anything that falls out o that is assault as highlighted in Condon v Basi. Although hard to comprehend because boxing alongside with MMA is one of the only sports whereby actual bodily harm is the objective, there is an exception to assault with regards to physical contact in the ring and physical contact in public. It is not abnormal for athletes to injure themselves playing sport. It is in fact a regular occurrence. Especially in sport such as football. Boxing receives a lot of publicity due to the severity of the injuries and even sometimes death. With that being said, physical contact and violence will always be part of boxing but necessary steps should be taken to enforce rules and protect the boxer otherwise the law will have to play a considerably greater role in order to enforce this.

Boxing, the seemingly bloody sport which is loved by many and hated by few. To the untrained eye it is a sport that promotes brutality and violence, however if you are really invested in it you may see that it actually promotes things like discipline. Of course it is risky, however I think the risks are comparable to sports and activities that are even more popular than boxing such as American Football which literally consists of players bashing their head together with a lot of force, increasing the risk of someone developing CTE in their later life. It is also America’s most popular sport even though it holds a higher risk of fatal head injuries than boxing. The same goes for things like motorcycle racing, horse racing and mountaineering, so why aren’t they called out to be banned? There is a reason why boxing has been represented in so many ways like in movies, tv shows and has become a multi-billion dollar sport. Its clearly loved by people so why should someone take that away from the people?

The sport teaches discipline. As well as things like exercise and diet, it also informs young people when and when not to fight, emphasizing the need for establishing mental control as well as physical. It also gives young people self-defence skills and can increase self-esteem, including the ability to defend themselves if physically assaulted. Boxing also provides a way for disadvantaged youths to remove themselves from poverty when something like a university education is out of their reach and can help discourage inner-city youngsters to stay away from things such as gangs as it is keeps them occupied and is an outlet for troubled youths to release anger and frustration in a controlled environment.

If you look at fighters such as Rocky Marciano, you would see that boxing really promotes things such as persistence and determination in order to overcome someone’s shortcomings and promotes. Rocky Marciano retired in 1956 as the world’s only undefeated Heavyweight Boxing Champion, an achievement that still stands today. He had 49 fights and won every single one, 43 of them with knockouts.

For a heavyweight, he was small, at just under 5’11’, and he weighed only 185 lbs (13st 3lb), but he probably brought more heart into the boxing ring than any fighter in the history of the sport. He overcame his relative physical shortcomings with a willingness to endure as much punishment necessary to defeat his opponent. Seemingly impervious to pain, he was willing to take three or four punches in order to land one, his famous right-hand haymaker known as the ‘Suzy-Q’. So determined was his relentless pursuit of victory that nothing – and I mean nothing – would stop him. And never was this more apparent than when he fought for the heavyweight championship against ‘Jersey Joe’ Walcott in September 1952 as a 3 -1 underdog.

Within the first 40 seconds, Walcott dumps Rocky onto the seat of his pants, the first time anyone has ever knocked him down in his whole career. He’s back on his feet within a few seconds, but he takes a fearsome beating throughout the first 7 rounds, although he gradually begins to pull back and wear Walcott down with sledgehammer blows to his ribs and arms. But as the final round arrives, all 3 judges have Walcott ahead on points. It’s do or die.

Battered, bruised, bleeding and hardly able to see, Rocky knows that the only way he can win is with a knockout. A gap opens in Walcott’s defense and he throws the ‘Suzy-Q’, landing it squarely on his opponent’s chin. Almost in slow motion, Walcott collapses against the ropes, falling first on to one knee and then slowly toppling on to his face. He doesn’t get up. He’s out for the count.

The sweet science of boxing has been prime, household entertainment for over a century. To this day, it leaves us on the edge of our seat, craving more. However, past all the fun and fanfare, there are major safety concerns, as time and brute force have not been kind to its practitioners.

With the popularity of MMA rising, a lot of boxing fans are turning to MMA as an alternative. It is a sport that encompasses all the best elements of boxing and offers much more. However, we do urge you to do your own homework on the subject. This article will simply aim to inform you how MMA is safer than boxing.

Here are 10 of the top reasons MMA is safer than boxing.

Head trauma is much higher in boxing

A lot of the time, when we see blood, we associate it with injury, and in proportion. The more someone bleeds, the more damage they’ve taken. This is for good reason. It’s an evolutionary instinct. There’s a reason blood is so bright red. It’s nature’s warning signal. In a sense, It’s our very essence, without it, we could not live.

However, past causal observation, there are a lot of other, more devastating injuries happening under the surface that do not have an immediate indicator. Concussions are not visible, but they are arguably a more pressing concern. If a fighter sustains a cut on the cheek that is bleeding profusely, chances are he is able to continue fighting without major risk to his long-term health. Such a surface injury will only cause minimal repercussions if any. Conversely, certain levels of head trauma can be career-ending, and the effects linger on much after retirement.

MMA provides many options for victory

In MMA, a fight can be won without throwing a single strike. Ground-based fighters such as jiu-jitsu practitioners and wrestlers have the option of shooting in for a double leg takedown, masterfully taking their opponent’s back, and then sinking in a rear-naked choke. Although its rare, MMA fights have been won with little to no striking at all. In most cases, both fighters are ready to fight again, without any injury. Strikes are the most damaging and injury-inducing way to win a fight. For this reason, MMA is much safer by virtue of option alone. For anyone that’s spent any time on the mats, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu are in a rare category of martial arts that you can train with 100% intensity and be at minimal risk of injury. When it comes to a striking based art, for example, you can only increase the intensity occasionally due to the risk of injury being so high.

There have been more boxing-related deaths

The jury is still out on this one since MMA is relatively new and we do not have much data. To give you a synopsis, there have been seven deaths in MMA from sanctioned bouts and nine from unsanctioned bouts. Since the late 1800s, roughly 500 boxers have died so far. If we take into account the time span and scale that down, MMA is still ahead by quite a margin. Of course, there are other factors that come into play since professional MMA was not around in the 1800s. We have a greater display of regulation enforcement and higher use of performance-enhancing drugs in the modern era just to name two. But we are confident if the data trends persist at this rate, MMA will retain its position as one of the safest combat sports.

Boxing related injuries are more severe

Looking into some post-fight data, research has concluded that MMA fighters are more likely to sustain an injury during their bout. A Canadian study done in Alberta showed that 59.4 percent of MMA fighters and 49.8 percent of boxers sustained some sort of injury during their bout. However, the level of injury was much more serious in boxing. Using ‘loss of consciousness’ as a barometer, boxers we’re at 7.1 percent compared to MMA fighters who were reported at 4.2 percent. Boxers were also much more likely to be suspended after a fight due to medical reasons.

The severity of an injury is very relevant when it comes to combat sports. Minor injuries heal much quicker and do not have long-term effects. It not only dictates whether the fighter can continue with his or her career in a healthy manner, but it also affects the credibility of the sport for future ventures such as the Olympic Games.

Rules and regulations are safer in MMA

In MMA, as soon as a fighter is downed, his or her opponent can rush in, land a few more strikes, and end the fight. In boxing, however, when you are knocked down, you receive a ‘ten count’. A ten count is simply when the referee counts to ten, and if he deems the boxer can continue, the fight goes on and the boxer is susceptible to additional damage. Furthermore, an MMA fighter can choose to lock in a submission which is arguably a safer option to end the fight. The rules of MMA promote ‘fight-ending’ scenarios much more frequently which is safer than fights going to a decision regardless of the sport. More time in the ring or octagon simply increases the window of opportunity for an injury to occur.

Boxing gloves are more hazardous when it comes to head strikes

The main danger of using boxing gloves to strike the head is the amount of acceleration, and consequently, the amount of force a fighter can generate with their strikes. Boxing gloves are simply heavier, and if we apply Newton’s Second Law, we can easily conclude this will result in more force. This causes the brain to rattle inside the head much more violently.

The main advantage of using boxing gloves is that they protect the fighter’s knuckles from damage that would be caused by the impact of a punch much better than MMA gloves do. From the opponent’s standpoint, they are protected from the sharp knucklebones in the hand (as opposed to using no gloves). These bones are sharp and can generally cause fight-ending cuts. The reason this is so unfavorable from a sports perspective is that finishing a fighter with a cut around the eye is not conducive to their skill. The purpose of combat sports is implicit in its name, it is a sport and therefore the aim of any contest should be to accurately measure a fighter’s skill.

MMA gloves, on the other hand, are denser and lighter. They do not protect the fighter’s hands as well as boxing gloves, but the exchange between the two fighters will result in a lot less damage to the head.

The British Medical Association states that gloves do not reduce the risk of brain injury. On the contrary, they can actually increase the likelihood of a brain injury.

A five-year study on injuries in boxing was done by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They concluded that the padding used in the gloves was correlated to the rates of injury in boxing.

Longer rounds in Boxing mean more damage

The bout time of a standard, professional MMA fight is 3, five-minute rounds (with the exception of a UFC title fight which is 5, five-minute rounds), as opposed to boxing which is 8 to 10, three-minute rounds. That comes to 15 minutes for MMA and anywhere from 24 to 30 minutes for a boxing match. At first glance, it seems like MMA is the clear winner in this category, but the type of strikes being executed has to be considered as well.

Boxing has a natural edge in terms of damage control when it comes to kicks. A shin to the skull has the potential to cause devastating damage. The amount of force generated by kicks is much larger than punches. One advantage of a head kick knockout is that the fight ends there and then. Sustained damage is not an issue in this scenario.

In further exploring the force generated by kicks compared to punches, a biomedical engineer named Cindy Bir at Wayne State University provides additional insight. She investigated that boxers could generate up to 5 thousand newtons of force with a single punch. After researching several different fighting styles from many experts in the martial arts world, she found that they could generate 9 thousand newtons of force through a kick.

It is fairly obvious that this is no revelation since there is more body mass behind a kick, but it definitely helps us quantify the amount of damage being done by different types of strikes. The keyword here is sustained damage. Taking consistent damage over a longer period of time is measured to be greater than taking a lot of force all at once.

Boxing training is a lot rougher

A lot of the injury is sustained during sparring or training. Not the fight itself. To garner a level of boxing skill that would hold up in the ring, a certain intensity is required once in a while. Even with the best headgear out there, head injuries cannot be completely eliminated.

Conversely, a good chunk of MMA training is groundwork and takedowns. Intensity can be maintained while preventing injury, and even when injury does occur, the result is a limb injury, something much less minor than a head injury.

Trevor Wittman, an MMA, and boxing coach was criticized for only putting boxers through 40 rounds of sparring before big fights. On average, most boxers go through a whopping 120 rounds prior to a big fight. Add that up and that is a lot of cranial damage.

If you are training boxing multiple times a week, you are going 10 to 12 rounds and facing a fresh opponent every time. Then you come back 3 days later to do the same. That is where the problem lies. MMA, on the other hand, varies with its level of intensity and mixes in grappling with striking.

MMA fighters are scheduled to fight less frequently

Within a year, MMA fighters generally fight 2 to 4 times. This gives them plenty of time for recovery. On the other hand, boxers have been known to fight 2 to 3 times within three months. This is also a big factor that contributes to additional damage being received.

Ocular complications of boxing

Dr, Gustavo Corrales published a paper on eye trauma in boxing. In his findings, he reported that years after head and eye trauma, boxers were at risk for glaucoma. The immediate consequences of optics may not be apparent immediately. Dr. Corrales states that in many cases, eye-related injuries revealed themself after a prolonged period of time. For instance, a boxer who endured a lot of trauma in his career may end up with glaucoma up to 10 years later.

It can also be tricky to judge the potential long-term vision risks for boxers. There is no framework in place for tracking the incident, nature or cause of eye injuries in boxing. So it is up in the air when or how certain injuries came to be. Tracking incidents is made even harder because some injuries can only affect one eye and sometimes athletes will hide this to stay in the fight.

Dr. Corrales’ work also found signs of optic trauma in 66 to 76 percent of boxers and 21 to 58 percent had vision-threatening injuries.

Conclusion

In conclusion, boxing and MMA both come with their own set of dangers. MMA injuries tend to be more frequent, minor, and limb focused while boxing injuries are heavily concentrated on the head and can follow a fighter years after retirement. There can be safer ways to train in the art of boxing if certain measures are put into place. Many boxers have shown us defensive boxing can work wonders, not only as a legitimate strategy to win fights but also an intelligent way to protect yourself for post-retirement celebration. Overall though, the numbers reveal MMA as the safer sport. Regardless of your choice of which sport to train, there is a certain degree of risk you will have to embrace. Hopefully, you are now able to make a more informed decision towards the choice of which form of combat is best for you.

Sources

1. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/mixed-martial-arts-safer-than-boxing-study_n_563ce23be4b0411d3070c8d6?ri18n=true
2. https://boxingglovesreviews.com/mma-gloves-vs-boxing-gloves-padding-protection/
3. https://www.livescience.com/6040-brute-force-humans-punch.html
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26327287
5. https://www.quora.com/Which-is-more-dangerous-MMA-or-boxing
6. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/39/2/70

Should boxing be a professional sport, well there are some different opinions worldwide. Some say that boxing is a great sport and that it should never go away. While others think that it should be gone. Lots of boxing fans say that the sport is great and entertaining. The people who don’t want it to go away say that there is nothing better than putting two guys in a ring and beating the crap out of each other legally in front of live audiences. People are really enjoying the sport like they just love it. Some opinions from pro fighters say they enjoy the idea too. They love the fans, fame, and money. Pro fighters obviously make a good living from it just by the way they dress, the cars they drive, and the nice million dollar mansions they live in. Even some fans explain that there are times when it’s Friday or the days they’re on break from their jobs that there is nothing better than going out with friends and family to watch these events at the sports bars or actually attending the fights.

But on the other hand there are people that don’t like the sport and think it should go away. These people have some good reasons for this too. There are things involved like injuries. Doctors say that even though the sport gives you fame and money that it could possibly cause some lifetime health effects. There are things like brain injuries and even becoming paralyzed and in rare cases death. Doctors go on to explain that some many blows to the head can cause serious brain injuries plus sometimes slurred speech. All the blows to the head cause concussions too. The rare cases though have some even more serious injuries. First off there is paralyzation because the fighters that take more damage and get hit in the head than the average fighter have way easier chances to get paralyzed. Eventually sooner or later the damage adds up and causes paralyzation. But the even more scary part is that some people die in the ring. The person that dies in the ring would usually be the older fighters. There are some ways they could die in the ring. Ways like getting hit in the liver too many times or taking massive blows to the stomach non-stop. But this is really rare it’s not like other injuries, like death in the ring is super rare.

My opinion on the sport is i think it should stay even though there are injuries involved. I am more on the side of keeping it around too because personally i box myself. I like the sport because it’s fun, it’s a good workout, and you can make good friends with others that box. I like to compete as well it’s so fun meeting new boxers from around the US that come to Colorado. Overall despite the injuries it makes good money and it’s really enjoyable, i would recommend it to anyone interested.

Many of those who oppose a ban on professional boxing agree that the sport could be safer than it currently is, and that change some minor, some radical should be made to ensure safety. Some argue that fights should be made shorter, for instance. People also say that before 1988, most professional bouts were scheduled for fifteen rounds and not twelve. The use of protective headgear and bigger gloves, which would make the force from punches less likely to cause injury. People (lots) have argued that punches to the head should be outlawed from the sport but that would take away the whole point of fighting. Punches to the back of head are already penalized in boxing, as are punches that land below the belt. Not mentioning getting hit behind the head increases the risk of injury and that shots below the belt could cause some even worse injuries to male boxers. People who review the things above say that, that would not be boxing if they made punches to the head illegal. Supporters of boxing emphasize that no one is forced into a boxing career.But it is a choice made by adults, the adults who want riches fame, and fans. Advocates of the sport go on to say that while there is a risk involved in a boxing career, there is also the possibility that boxers can accumulate great wealth. Far from being socially irresponsible, boxing represents one of the few chances many underprivileged people have to climb the social ladder, supporters say. They can become famous for winning a lot , obtaining belts, and being undefeated.

Now we are going to the other side, the other side that where people don’t want professional boxing to still be around. Critics of boxing argue that it is unethical to allow people to fight due to the immense health risks involved. The high percentage of ex-boxers who suffer from chronic brain injury creates a good reason to end the sport for real. They say it doesn’t only kill some boxers it also causes some major injuries, injuries such as chronic brain damage. Opponents of boxing also point out that many people who used to box suffer from acute eye damage after they retire from the ring. Boxing’s foes further argue that activities such as gladiatorial competitions and dueling have been phased out of society, and that boxing should also be. Although sports such as football and hockey can also result in catastrophic injury, those sports are ethically permissible because they are not supposed to or made to hurt others to win or please the fans in some way. Critics also say that boxers often do not know about the risks involved in boxing because “greedy” managers and promoters don’t tell them any negative information about the sport itself. While it is true that the most successful boxers can earn a good living from fighting, the majority retire from the ring as poor as they were when they entered it, opponents say. Like the boxers will compete to some extent but they don’t end up making lots of money like pros and end up still poor or not having a lot of money. So boxers will quit the sport because they lose interest or don’t see a point to keep going because they are not “getting rich beyond their dreams.”