02-24-2020, 04:20 AM
I know this thread could generate a lot of aggro, so I'm happy to affirm upfront that
I'm totally against boxing as an alleged "sport". In my humble opinion, it should be
banned globally, and phased out over, say, a 5-year period, or whatever.
What prompted me to bring this up was this report in my paper this morning, reminding
me of a 23-year-old boxer, Braydon Smith, who lost his life after his fight in 2015 against
John Moralde, here in Australia.
Tyson Fury beats Deontay Wilder by TKO to win WBC heavyweight world championship in Las Vegas.
The condition boxers too often suffer from is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),
previously called the "punch drunk" syndrome, boxer’s dementia or dementia pugilistica.
This causes progressive memory problems, personality change and slowness of movement
and is now considered a possible precursor of Alzheimer’s disease.
Blows to the head cause two different kinds of injury. The face is cut and bruised by
direct impacts, but damage to the brain is caused largely by rotational acceleration
of the cerebral cortex around the much smaller midbrain and spinal cord. This damage
may be aggravated by boxing gloves since they add weight and thus energy to punches,
causing more rotational acceleration.
Amongst contact sports, boxing is a special case. No other sport has the express goal of
causing injury to the brain. That's certainly the aim of professional boxing. Even in amateur
boxing, blows to the head are crucial, and protective headgear may not stop injury from
rotational acceleration.
John Corsellis, a neuroscientist specialising in brain trauma studies at the Maudsley
Hospital in London, has called for a ban on boxing—writing a research paper published in
the BMJ (British Medical Journal 1989). He further said, "My opinion is that the brain
should not be the target in any sport, and no amount of juggling with the regulations can
take away that risk. Experienced and outstanding boxers are themselves aware of the
risk, difficult as it may be for them eventually to call a halt." (New Scientist 2013).
Medical authorities in Australia are calling for a national ban on boxing. "We believe that
a so-called sport where two people knock each other in the head as often as you possibly
can to win a bout seems rather barbaric," the Australian Medical Association president
Shaun Rudd said in 2015. "You’re not allowed to hit the organs beneath the belt, whereas
you’re allowed to hit the organ above your shoulder, which is the most important organ in
the body."
—I know in advance that American boxing fans will be outraged by any suggestions of a
total ban on boxing, but I then take note that these same sorts of people elected their
current President, who many consider to also be brain damaged.
I'm totally against boxing as an alleged "sport". In my humble opinion, it should be
banned globally, and phased out over, say, a 5-year period, or whatever.
What prompted me to bring this up was this report in my paper this morning, reminding
me of a 23-year-old boxer, Braydon Smith, who lost his life after his fight in 2015 against
John Moralde, here in Australia.
Tyson Fury beats Deontay Wilder by TKO to win WBC heavyweight world championship in Las Vegas.
The condition boxers too often suffer from is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE),
previously called the "punch drunk" syndrome, boxer’s dementia or dementia pugilistica.
This causes progressive memory problems, personality change and slowness of movement
and is now considered a possible precursor of Alzheimer’s disease.
Blows to the head cause two different kinds of injury. The face is cut and bruised by
direct impacts, but damage to the brain is caused largely by rotational acceleration
of the cerebral cortex around the much smaller midbrain and spinal cord. This damage
may be aggravated by boxing gloves since they add weight and thus energy to punches,
causing more rotational acceleration.
Amongst contact sports, boxing is a special case. No other sport has the express goal of
causing injury to the brain. That's certainly the aim of professional boxing. Even in amateur
boxing, blows to the head are crucial, and protective headgear may not stop injury from
rotational acceleration.
John Corsellis, a neuroscientist specialising in brain trauma studies at the Maudsley
Hospital in London, has called for a ban on boxing—writing a research paper published in
the BMJ (British Medical Journal 1989). He further said, "My opinion is that the brain
should not be the target in any sport, and no amount of juggling with the regulations can
take away that risk. Experienced and outstanding boxers are themselves aware of the
risk, difficult as it may be for them eventually to call a halt." (New Scientist 2013).
Medical authorities in Australia are calling for a national ban on boxing. "We believe that
a so-called sport where two people knock each other in the head as often as you possibly
can to win a bout seems rather barbaric," the Australian Medical Association president
Shaun Rudd said in 2015. "You’re not allowed to hit the organs beneath the belt, whereas
you’re allowed to hit the organ above your shoulder, which is the most important organ in
the body."
—I know in advance that American boxing fans will be outraged by any suggestions of a
total ban on boxing, but I then take note that these same sorts of people elected their
current President, who many consider to also be brain damaged.