What they said ... `We are talking about 20 per cent of boxers who end up with chronic brain damage and the state has a role in protecting people against themselves' Dr David Wheadon, former president of the Australian Medical Association
`It's not the job of doctors to make moral judgements about what people want to do in society' Dr Peter Glyn Lewis, ring-side doctor
Should boxing be banned? On April 30, 1996, Lance Hobson died. The 23-year-old former Australian featherweight champion had collapsed in the ring at the start of the sixth round of a fight staged in Melbourne against China's Liu Gang.
Neurosurgeons later operated on Mr Hobson to remove a blood clot from the outside of his brain. Mr Hobson died less than 24 hours after collapsing in the ring.
The death lead to renewed calls from the Australian Medical Association and the Neurological Society of Australia for boxing to be banned, both professionally, and as an amateur sport in Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
The president of Sports Medicine Australia, Dr Peter Larkins, called for an inquiry into boxing.
The Victorian Government, however, did not appear to consider a state-based ban and claimed that boxing was well regulated and unlikely to require tighter controls.
Background
Australia currently has approximately 300 professional boxers and some 2,500 amateurs.
Somewhat different regulations cover amateur and professional boxers. The following distinctions mark some of the major differences between professional boxing as practised in Victoria and amateur boxing.
(The regulations that govern amateur boxing apply in some 186 countries; the regulations governing professional boxing vary from one region or jurisdiction to another.)
Differences between amateur and professional boxing regulations
* Since 1984 all amateur boxers have been required to wear headguards during training and in fights.
Headguards were introduced into amateur boxing during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Professional boxers only wear headguards during training.
* Amateur boxers generally fight rounds of only two minutes, while professional boxers fight rounds of three minutes.
* Amateur boxers usually have bouts made up of three rounds, while professional boxers usually have bouts made up of six or more rounds.
* Amateur official also claim that their contests are more readily stopped by officials if a boxer appears glassy-eyed or unsteady on his feet.
Despite these differences, defenders of professional boxing maintain that the regulations governing their code are adequate.
Regulations governing professional boxing in Victoria
Before Lance Hobson, the last professional boxer to die in Victoria (directly as a result of injuries received in the ring) died in 1974.
After this death the Victorian Government altered the regulations governing professional boxing in this state and set up the Professional Boxing Control Board.
The Board was ensure that the new regulations were followed.
These regulations require
strict medical checks before and after bouts;
a minimum of at least a week's spell between short bouts;
a fortnight's spell for longer bouts, with a doctor able to order longer spells;
fighters must have a thorough medical each year to retain their licences;
trainers, referees and other officials must also be licensed;
a doctor attend all bouts and be able to halt any fight.
The Professional Boxing Control Board can cancel the licence of any fighter, trainer, referee or official.
There are a number of different Internet sites which deal with different aspects of boxing, and in particular consider the safety hazards that are said to be a part of the sport.
The following are two sites which suggest either that boxing should be banned or that young people, in particular, should be discouraged from taking it up.
* The Australian Medical Association's site can be found at http://www.ama.com.au The site includes a position paper on boxing. This can be found at http://domino.ama.com.au/DIR0103/Position.nsf/b327c9ef331587e04a25651c001e0cee/e393a71af06996064a2565e0000297a7?OpenDocument The AMA strong supports a total ban on boxing, both professional and amateur.
* A Canadian organisation, Healthwatch, which is a lobby group and community education organisation opposed to the sale of tobacco to youth has a sub-section of its site opposing the promotion of boxing to youth. This is a very interesting site with an extensive set of links to other sites giving both pro-and anti-boxing news and information. The Healthwatch - K.O. Boxing Homepage can be found at http://www.healthwatch.org/Boxing/ko-boxing.html
The following two sites support amateur boxing.
* Boxing Canada is the official web site of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association. It can be found at http://www.boxing.ca/ It is an informative site which includes a careful comparison of the regulations governing professional boxing as practised in Canada and the regulations governing professional boxing. This comparison can be found at http://www.boxing.ca/differen.html
* An unofficial introduction to Amateur Boxing Australia can be found at http://www2.dynamite.com.au/phoenix/ This is an extremely informative site which gives information on learning boxing and the rulings governing amateur boxing. It has a detailed section considering the safety of boxing. This section examines the safety procedures that are in place and presents and criticises the position adopted by the AMA. The section of the site treating safety can be found at http://www2.dynamite.com.au/phoenix/safety.htm
Arguments supporting the banning of boxing
There are five main arguments offered in favour of the banning of boxing.
Firstly, it is claimed that boxing is an extremely hazardous activity.
Those who hold this view point to the number of fatalities and serious injuries that result from boxing.
It has been claimed that between 1945 and 1996 some 370 deaths have occurred in the ring worldwide.
Medical authorities are particularly concerned about head injuries which, it is claimed, are a key feature of boxing.
Dr John Liddell, the secretary of the Neurological Society of Australia, has stated, `We are opposed to any activity which encourages ... injury to the head.'
The then federal president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr David Wheadon, has claimed, `We are talking about 20 per cent of boxers who end up with chronic brain damage and the state has a role in protecting people against themselves.'
Dr Wheadon has also claimed, `A swinging hook to the side of the head is the most dangerous as it causes the head to rotate vertically.
All boxers know that a strong punch landing in this area is likely to lead to a win by knockout because of the brain damage this movement produces.'
Secondly, it is argued that boxing is unique in that it is the only sport whose primary aim is to inflict injury on your opponent.
Critics of boxing claim that this makes it fundamentally different from other sports in which injuries can be suffered.
According to this line of argument, though many contact sports can led to the injuring of participants, such injuries are an accidentally consequence of the sport.
It is possible, it is claimed, with skill, care and good fortune, to avoid injury in most contact sports, or at least to be injured infrequently. Further, it is claimed, there are usually penalties in place for those who injure opponents.
In boxing, however, as claimed by critics, some level of injury is almost unavoidable as the sport involves the exchange of blows intended to disable one's opponent to at least some degree.
Dr David Brand has cited the position of the National Health and Medical Research Council, which argues, `victory in boxing is obtained by inflicting on the opponent such a measure of physical injury that the opponent is unable to continue, or which at least can be seen to be significantly greater than is received in return.'
Thirdly, it is claimed, boxing, as a public display of interpersonal violence, sets a bad example for spectators, especially young spectators, as it appears to endorse and promoted such violence.
This point has been made by Herald Sun commentator, Paul Gray.
Mr Gray has claimed, `To young people, particularly adolescents, sports heroes mean more than any other grown-up ... That's why it's crucial, from society's point of view, that sports heroes should be people youth can look up to.'
Mr Gray went on to suggest that the behaviour of boxing `heroes' such as Mike Tyson tells young people that `strength is a weapon to be used, and that it's dog eat dog out there - all the way to the top.'
Fourthly, it has been claimed that many boxers are not making a free and informed decision when they decide to take part in the sport.
According to this line of argument, ignorance of the risks involved or financial need for the prize money offered in professional boxing may mean that some participants take up the sport either unaware of the hazards or unable to make a free choice.
It is for this reason that John Myles, a former featherweight professional boxer and currently a sports commentator with radio Sport 927 has suggested that no boxer should be able to take up the sport professionally unless he had competed in at least ten amateur bouts in the preceding two year period.
According to Mr Myles, `after ten amateur bouts it is to be hoped the boxer and his trainer would know whether turning pro would be worthwhile.'
Fifthly, it is argued that pre-fight tests of physical fitness are insufficient to prevent possibly fatal brain injury.
This point was made in 1996 by Dr Peter Larkins, then president of Sports Medicine Australia.
Dr Larkins has claimed, `You can test the size of the brain and if someone has had previous damage, but you cannot test for a fragile blood vessel, before it gets hit.'
Arguments against banning boxing
There are six main arguments offered in support of boxing
Firstly, it is claimed, those who take part in boxing know there are risks involved and take part willingly.
According to this line of argument, if participants informed of the dangers still wish to take part in a sport then that sport should be available to them.
This view has been put by Dr Peter Glyn Lewis, who acts as ringside doctor in some 95 per cent of professional boxing matches in Victoria.
Dr Lewis has maintained that people should be able to participate in whatever sport they are interested in.
`It's not the job of doctors to make moral judgements about what people want to do in society.'
This point has also been made by 17-year-old Jason Arena. Mr Arena is an amateur junior welterweight fighter from Sydney.
Mr Arena has claimed, `The boys who fight choose to fight. Johnny (his coach) would never make you - everyone knows the dangers.'
Secondly, it is claimed, boxing does not promote violence.
According to this line of argument, a desire to physically pit oneself against someone else is a part of human nature, especially, it has been suggested, for men.
Those who hold this view argue that all boxing does is regulate and formalise this natural desire for combat.
Box trainer, Keith Lester has claimed, `As long as there's been the male of the species, there's been a need for combat. That's what males like. That's what we're about.'
Further, it is claimed, boxing acts as a relatively safe and legal outlet for male aggression.
World-title judge and editor of The World of Boxing magazine, Mr Ray Wheatley, has claimed, `Most of the guys who are getting involved in boxing to fight [rather than train] are pretty tough sorts of guys ... It's a constructive vent.'
Thirdly, supporters of boxing claim that it offers valuable discipline and training to socially disadvantaged young men.
This point has been made by 17-year-old Jason Arena. Mr Arena has claimed, `It's kept me disciplined, it has. It keeps your sanity of mind, you've got to stick by rules ... If I wasn't doing boxing I think I'd probably be on drugs like all my other mates ...'
Fourthly, it is claimed that some boxing champions can serve as role models for either the social or racial group from which they have come or for people generally.
This sort of claim has been made about Dave Sands, claimed to be Australia's best heavy boxer.
Dave Sands was at different times heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight champion of Australia.
Actor and Australian Boxing Federation official, Gus Mercurio, has said of Sands, `He boxed cleanly, punched crisply. He feared nobody. He was an icon. Downtrodden people need a guiding light, someone to emulate, to point to. He was it.'
Fifthly, it is claimed that regulations are in place to try to prevent boxers, both professional and amateur, suffering serious or fatal injuries.
Supporters of boxing note that boxers are required to undergo regular medical checks and that restrictions are in place to prohibit boxers who have been knocked out returning to the ring too soon.
It is claimed that amateur boxing, in particular, is very unlikely to cause fatal injury to competitors.
Supporters of amateur boxing note that participants wear headguards. They also note that the rounds are shorter than in professional boxing. Finally, they note that there are rules requiring that the referee stop a fight to avoid injury and that the ringside doctor is able to do the same thing.
Mr Arthur Tunstall, the World Amateur Boxing Association's vice president, has claimed, `We are the only sport where a doctor can rise to stop a contest - do you see that happening at football matches?'
Finally, it has been claimed that if boxing were banned this would simply drive the sport underground where fewer, if any, safety regulations would apply.
This point has been made by Dr Peter Lewis, who has claimed, `At the moment we have very good controls and regulations in the sport and if you ban it you lose that regulation. It would obviously go underground and then you would lose that control.'
Further implications
To date, the regulations governing professional boxing have not changed since the death of Lance Hobson.
Coroner Iain West, inquiring into the death of Lance Hobson, recommended in April, 1998, that professional boxers be required to wear protective headguards. He also recommended that professional boxing rounds be reduced from three minutes to two and that the size, fabric and padding of gloves used in professional and amateur bouts be reconsidered.
Thus far nothing has happened in response to these recommendations.
The question of headguards remains a vexed one, as there are those who maintain that they do not promote safety as they obscure boxers' peripheral vision; give them a false sense of security; enable them to stay in the ring longer and thus sustain greater injury; and finally, can cause severe overheating.
Coroner West recommended that research be carried out to determine whether protective headgear reduced the risk of brain or facial trauma. Such research has yet to be carried out.
There has been no move on the larger question of whether boxing should be banned. It currently seems very unlikely that action will be taken on either a state or federal level to ban the sport. Additional fatalities, however, might either encourage a change in regulations or lead to a ban.
Sources The Age
1/5/96 page 6 news item by Sybil Nolan and Melissa Fyfe, `Boxing ban call as hurt fighter dies'
2/5/96 page 16 editorial, `The not-so-sweet science'
4/5/96 page 20 comment by Martin Blake, `Leather and lucre's lure'
18/6/97 page 3 news item by Caroline Milburn, `Boxing greats fight to keep hero's spirit alive'
28/4/98 page 4 news item by Manika Naidoo, `Doctor defends boxing as sport'
1/5/98 page 10 news item by Manika Naidoo, `Coroner pushes for headguards'
1/5/98 page 16 comment by Dr David Brand, `Professional boxing should be banned'
3/5/98 page 6 analysis by Garry Linnell, `Boxing isn't beaten with a Fenech in its corner'
The Australian
1/5/96 page 20 news item, `Aussie boxer dies'
5/7/97 page 21 comment by Tracy Sutherland, `Fight to train, or train to fight?'
28/4/98 page 7 news item by Madeleine Coorey, `Inquest plea for punch padding'
1/5/98 page 3 news item by Madeleine Coorey, `TKO for headgear'
The Herald Sun
1/5/96 page 15 news item by Neil Wilson, Ron Reed and Ross Curnow, `Boxer dies after bout'
2/5/96 page 18 editorial, `A body blow for boxing'
4/5/96 page 16 comment by Neil Wilson, `Sport in violence spotlight'
4/5/96 page 16 analysis by Brett Quine, `Competition for ring glory starts early'
2/7/97 page 18 comment by Paul Gray, `We should drop Tyson as a sports hero'
24/4/98 page 9 news item by Fay Burstin, `Headgear plea after boxer dies'
29/4/98 page 18 comments by Dr peter Larkins and Murray Thomson, `Should protective headgear be compulsory for all boxers'
1/5/98 page 11 news item by Fay Burstin, `Coroner calls for headguard'
1/5/98 page 18 editorial, `Boxing a noble, but unsafe art'
7/5/98 page 19 comment by John Myles, `Stop the fight tragedies'
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