SHOULD BOXING BE BANNED? ======================== By Shan S. Kannon In February 1995 a match was held in London, England for the Middleweight (160 lbs) WBC belt. The fight was between Nigel Bent and Gerald McClellan. Both fighters needed to have oxygen administered to them at the end of their bout. However, it was found a short time later, when the doctor checked McClellan after the knockout he suffered, that he had a blood clot in his brain. He needed to have emergency surgery in order to save his life. He was in a coma for about one week. It was at this time that the cry of the press and of the American Medical Association to ban the sport again reared its ugly face. It is important to remember that both men knew the risks before they stepped into the ring. This was a risk they chose to take. This is true with many other sports as well. It is especially true in the sport of rugby, in which several hundred people every year are maimed or killed while playing. Yet, there are no great cries to ban rugby. There are two important reasons for this. The first is the fact that most of these injuries and deaths happen outside of the United States. This is important because of the lack of news coverage that the sport receives. As a result, there is less awareness and interest in the sport of rugby compared to the NFL, the National Football League or baseball here in the United States. Another important consideration is somewhat connected to these facts. There are not the large amounts of money involved in the sport of rugby that there are in boxing. A championship fight purse can contain millions of dollars. Take, for example, Rock Newman, the manager of the former heavyweight champion of the world, Riddick Bowe. He is, at the time of this writing, in discussion with the former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson about a possible match worth an estimated $122 million dollars! This is just one example, which is only one fight and is not even a major championship bout. Over the course of just one year, we are looking at a huge amounts of revenue that are generated by the sport . It has been the AMA or as they are otherwise known as the American Medical Association, that has been the party wich has fueled the debate the most on the subject of banning boxing altogether. On the surface, their reasons may appear to be the most honorable. However, this certainly cannot be the case. Many possible scenarios could come about if the AMA did in fact get their way and accomplish just two things. The first possible scenario is the banning of the sport itself. What would be the ramifications of this? It would make a perfectly legal and profitable sport that millions of people world - wide enjoy become an illegal activity. This would mean that the sport would be driven underground and be put into much the same condition it was in the 1850's. The 1850's was at a time when many a fighter was being maimed or even killed in the ring. This sport will not just pack up its bags and go away because a government passes a law making the activity illegal. This would have much the same effect as prohibition did on alcohol consumption. Simply put, it will not work. The condition boxing was in, before the advent of the Marquess Of Queensberry rules bears little or no resemblance to the sport today. Boxing of the 1850's and before was fought without the benefit of three minute rounds, a ring, or even gloves. At that time, boxing was done in the bare knuckle style. The last champion of that era was the great John L. Sullivan. Even the name for the ring came from these days when the spectators would gather in a circle, or a " ring " to watch the fight take place. In 1866 the Marquess of Queenbury rules were instituted and set into place. They have remained the same for most of the modern era of the game as we know it. These rules include requirements for the ring itself, which can be anywhere between 12 and up to 22 feet in diameter. They also require the use of gloves to help protect both of the athletes. The use of the three minute round and rules against hitting certain areas of the body like below the belt and behind the opponent's head, became instituted. Using of judges and a scoring system were components of the Marquess of Queensberry rules. These rules put a strong focus on safety for both fighters, as well as putting some much needed order into how the matches were to be run. Now, consider what state boxing would be in without the benefit of it being legal. All the people involved with the sport would instantly become criminals, possibly even felons for the continued practice of their art. This would include more than just the boxers. It would encompass also the ringside judges, referees, cutmen, or anyone else that would want to participate. There is also the very distinct possibility of it being run without the benefit of the familiar rules. All this being done to attract a paying crowd. What could be the saddest irony of all is the likely absence of a doctor or any kind of medical assistance at ringside since a doctor could lose his / her licence to practice medicine. The AMA would greatly frown on this type of behavior from one of their own and may want to reprimand the individual. The fact that medical assistance was available to Mr. McClellen in his last fight this past February in London, England is surely the major reason he is alive today. In fact, the parties would not even be able to bring him to a hospital because of the way Mr. McClellen received his injuries. The last time a fighter was killed in the ring the AMA stated that the sport should be outlawed or banned. This was back in November, 1982. A boxer from South Korea by the name of Duk Koo Kim was killed in a match with a then popular fighter known as Ray " Boom Boom " Mancini. The AMA, wrote not one but two editorials in their medical journal, The Journal of the American Medical Association. These were published in the issue dated 14 January 1983. It hardly seems like a fitting place for an editorial. This journal is dedicated to medical issues, and rightfully so. They published an editorial (Their "Objective" opinion) about the sport of boxing and appointing themselves as the perfect regulators for the sport and only they could save the sport from itself? This now brings us to the second most likely possibility which is that the AMA would become a so - called partner in safety working and receiving their cut of all the various purses for the matches held. They are known by many names and have thus gotten the nickname of "Alphabet Soup" attached to them. A few of these governing bodies since they are called are the WBC, WBO, WBA, NABC, NABF and the IBF. There are many more often small and are not respected in the boxing world. The fact that an organization like the AMA would want to tarnish its own image for the love of money is regrettable. The AMA has a respectable reputation in the eyes of the general public. Can anyone really imagine an announcer for a fight saying something like this: "...And now the big fight you all have been waiting for, the WBA and American Medical Association heavyweight championship of the world! " Can anybody imagine a ring announcer like Micheal Buffer saying something like this right after announcing "Lets get ready to rumble! " To add to this, everytime there is a scandal in the boxing world (Like that never happens, right?) the AMA would take it on the chin so to speak and would wind up having to play "Spin doctor" with these types of events and their integrity. After all, they're a medical organization that is more interested in the health of the American public at large, right? There are other possibilities as well. Imagine all the new rules and regulations that could and would come about with having only the types of doctors that the AMA would require to be working at ringside and all the possible kickbacks that could be involved between the AMA and the various alphabet soups out there in the boxing world. There is the possibility of the integrity of the medical professional being dragged down through the mud of these same boxing organizations. Why? For the reason that the doctor could not work independent of the AMA or the given governing body. Since the two would be intertwined, it creates all kinds of obvious problems for everyone involved. The ideal situation for the boxing world to fall into would be a single governing body and the institution of a league format for the fighters of all the various weight classes. The weight classes should be cut back to eight, but no more than ten and this would enhance the reputation and credibility of sport in the eyes of public. A league format would again be ideal because it takes the power of the big payday away from the promoters and, to some extent, the managers and put it where it belongs: in the hands of the governing body who is subject to the same rules because they are all part the bigger whole. The boxing league itself should govern everyone's actions by the rule of its own agreed upon laws. Only in a system like this, or one similar to it, could boxing regain much of its lost respectability and credibility in not only the eyes of the boxing public, but the public at large. However, reality dictates this will never happen. Fighters are lured away to fight with an inferior quality boxer for the big, easy payday. For both the fighters in question, it comes down to the established boxer taking a bout like this one for the money and the lessor one for the chance at a huge purse. If by chance, he is able to beat the ranked, known fighter, he is able to become a household name ( and a very wealthy man ) overnight. The problem with the current state of the boxing world is the politics of the game itself. Ranked, or belt holding (champion) boxers have been known to " duck " or avoid having a match with another worthy opponent. This is done at times to avoid losing ranking in one of the many alphabet soups of governing bodies. This becomes true to a fault in the case of fighters who are ranked in the top ten in the world. This is an elite class of athlete; they are the creme that rises to the top. The simple fact that there are so many governing bodies in the world of professional boxing does lend itself to having at least one very good aspect to it. The press coverage tends to be as brutally honest as the game itself. A boxer is in the ring all by himself, toe to toe with his adversary. If he suffers a knockout at the hands of his opponent, he absolutely has no one to blame for the loss but himself. In this way, as having few grey areas. Either the fighter won or he lost. Draws in this sport are not as common as in other sports. Because of the nature of the sport itself, it is viewed by many around the world as being the purest of any sport. The simple fact that there are so many governing bodies in the world of boxing is one of the reasons that the press coverage tends to be so good. One of the drawbacks of boxing being in a league format is that the press coverage would suffer. Why? This would be "The only game in town " and reporters would not want to ask the tough questions of a promoter, manager, or a fighter without the fear of reprisal and thus cut out of the informational gathering loop. The reporter has at his or her disposal all of the other alphabet soups out there to gather their much needed information. The same is true for the promoter, manager, or fighter who is also dealing with all these different organizations. It has a way of leveling the playing field in a substantial way. The sport of boxing has been with us though the centuries, to our pleasure and disdain. There are records of it's existence going as far back to the Olympic games in the Illiad, over 2,000 years ago. It is a sport that brings to us some the most highly trained, well conditioned athletes to be found anywhere and at any time. Few sports, demand the mental and physical toughness and discipline that is required to become proficient at it. This is the essence in the fine art of manly self - defense that is called boxing. By Shan S. Kannon ================= * Another text brought to you by The Event Horizon BBS located in Bethel, CT. Telephone is (203) 748 - 5232 = 12 March 1995 =