July 3, 2001

12:28 PM

Beethavean Scottland died last night of head injuries sustained in a boxing last week. Will boxing ever be safe?
posted by dfowler (14 comments total)

Of course, I meant "boxing match."
posted by dfowler at 12:29 PM on July 3, 2001

Assuming sufficient precautions are met in a sport, where the goal is to beat the shit out of your opponent --- I would say: "Yes".
posted by chrish at 12:33 PM on July 3, 2001

It's like the evil meme-spawn of the death posts and the sports posts!

Boxing isn't safe. Neither is any other contact sport. It's a risk. Part of the deal.
posted by daveadams at 12:41 PM on July 3, 2001

I'm still of the opinion that it's up to the boxers whether they want to box or not so I don't feel that banning the sport is in order.

Mind you according to a quote from one Dr Ian Mckee that I noted down a few years ago, after it appeared in the Sunday Post, being hit by Frank Bruno's heaviest punch was like "being hit by a twelve pound sledgehammer, travelling at twenty miles per hour". I don't think I'd be too keen on two people getting into a ring and hitting each other with sledgehammers in the name of sport. Why should it be any different when the weapon used is a part of the body? Well, according to my sense of morality it just is.
posted by MUD at 1:05 PM on July 3, 2001

While boxing is dangerous by nature, it is safer now than ever before. Not near as many fighters are killed in the ring as were in the days of Jake Lamotta and Sugar Ray Robinson. The power of the ringside doctors has grown steadily over the last 70 years and will hopefully continue to grow.
posted by ttrendel at 1:20 PM on July 3, 2001

will it ever be 100% safe? obviously not. but as long as the people in the ring are there by concious choice, and aware of the possible outcomes, there's no reason not to let people still do this.
posted by whoshotwho at 1:24 PM on July 3, 2001

"Who killed Davey Moore?" - Bob Dylan

{audio}
posted by skwm at 1:25 PM on July 3, 2001

I think a more apt question might be:

If boxing were safe, would you still watch it?
posted by TiggleTaggleTiger at 1:45 PM on July 3, 2001

my wife & I just started taking boxing lessons...WOW is that fun! Despite what anyone may think, it requires a great degree of concentration & strength, plus its alot safer than being a web designer these days.
posted by zeus at 2:13 PM on July 3, 2001

The public's perception of boxing is far from the reality. If you're interested in some statistics on ALL sports injuries, go to the NCCSI report. I'm sure someone will bring up Ali in this thread - well, Alzheimers can be carried genetically, and guess what? It happens to run in the Ali family.

Yes, boxers can endure long term debilitation due to their sport. So can any athlete who pushes their body to the limit.
posted by J. R. Hughto at 3:44 PM on July 3, 2001

Muhammad Ali is suffering from Parkinson's Disease, not Alzheimer's. Allegedly, it's one of the reasons he retired 20 years ago, but most people didn't know until recently.

If, however, you want an example of a boxer with sport-induced brain damage, look no further than Riddick Bowe.

I would, perhaps, be less disturbed if boxing weren't arguably the single most corrupt sport on the planet. Crooks are enriched, gamblers are fleeced, and the entertainment risks its life.
posted by dhartung at 11:07 PM on July 3, 2001

WHOOPS! Talk about a brain freeze. I stand humbled.
posted by J. R. Hughto at 7:27 AM on July 4, 2001

Plus, great article on Bowe.
posted by J. R. Hughto at 7:33 AM on July 4, 2001

J.R. Hughto> Yes, boxers can endure long term debilitation due to their sport. So can any athlete who pushes their body to the limit.

Yes, but in how many sports is that debilitation mental? I'd rather blow out both my knees than be permanently punch-drunk, but I concede that others may disagree.

I'm surprised that no one has suggested a simple, easily administered solution to this problem: outlaw gloves in boxing. Boxers would take fewer headshots (for fear of breaking their fingers), and would take less damage from the headshots they do receive (a bare fist is less massive than a gloved one: less momentum transfer to the head).
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 5:45 PM on July 4, 2001