Comments on: Boxing’s Month From Hell http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/boxings-month-from-hell/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: b99 http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/boxings-month-from-hell/#comment-51878 b99 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:13:17 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=9744#comment-51878 We can't really add homicides and suicides to fatal concussions sustained in the ring and consider it of a piece. The socio-economic milieu of youth who become boxers is overwhelmingly that of hardscrabble poverty. It always has been. And these are populations far more likely to exhibit the characteristics of downtrodden communities everywhere - lack of education, unemployment, single-parent families, dead-beat dads, high rates of street crime and violent crime, etc. It is a class of people, especially its males, with a much higher chance of dying prematurely than any other social class. Making good money in the ring does not guarantee escape from the conditions that push youth into boxing in the first place. And boxing has always been a shady business, replete with crooked promoters and underworld sharks. The damage within the ring can be mitigated. Helmets - as found in the amateurs - must become standard issue among professionals. The standing-8-count should be discontinued. A boxer on the verge of being unable to continue should not be given this mini-reprieve only to be subjected to more punishment. That only enables him to live for another round of beatings. It should be as it is in mixed martial arts (MMA) - a bout in which a fighter is unable to intelligently defend him/herself is over as quickly as the referee can come between the two combatants. And speaking of MMA - this appears to be the future of 'boxing' for much of the world. Striking the head or body is but one form of offense, thus blows to the head are minimized instead of concentrated. It's a bloody business none the less. And I'm sure much dirt will begin to surface as it grows out of its infancy. We can’t really add homicides and suicides to fatal concussions sustained in the ring and consider it of a piece. The socio-economic milieu of youth who become boxers is overwhelmingly that of hardscrabble poverty. It always has been. And these are populations far more likely to exhibit the characteristics of downtrodden communities everywhere – lack of education, unemployment, single-parent families, dead-beat dads, high rates of street crime and violent crime, etc. It is a class of people, especially its males, with a much higher chance of dying prematurely than any other social class. Making good money in the ring does not guarantee escape from the conditions that push youth into boxing in the first place. And boxing has always been a shady business, replete with crooked promoters and underworld sharks.

The damage within the ring can be mitigated. Helmets – as found in the amateurs – must become standard issue among professionals. The standing-8-count should be discontinued. A boxer on the verge of being unable to continue should not be given this mini-reprieve only to be subjected to more punishment. That only enables him to live for another round of beatings. It should be as it is in mixed martial arts (MMA) – a bout in which a fighter is unable to intelligently defend him/herself is over as quickly as the referee can come between the two combatants.

And speaking of MMA – this appears to be the future of ‘boxing’ for much of the world. Striking the head or body is but one form of offense, thus blows to the head are minimized instead of concentrated. It’s a bloody business none the less. And I’m sure much dirt will begin to surface as it grows out of its infancy.

]]> By: mary http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/boxings-month-from-hell/#comment-51868 mary Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:27:55 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=9744#comment-51868 I have always hated boxing for the long term damage it causes to the participants and for the greed of the promoters. Now I hear that women's boxing is to be introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2012 'games' in London. What depressing news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8196879.stm I have always hated boxing for the long term damage it causes to the participants and for the greed of the promoters.

Now I hear that women’s boxing is to be introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2012 ‘games’ in London. What depressing news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8196879.stm

]]> By: kalidas http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/08/boxings-month-from-hell/#comment-51867 kalidas Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:54:42 +0000 http://dissidentvoice.org/?p=9744#comment-51867 Have you taken a gander at the list of deceased Pittsburgh Steelers? From 2000-2006 By The Los Angeles Times Wednesday, July 19, 2006 "Fresh off their first Super Bowl victory in 26 years, the Steelers have experienced the emotional gamut. The franchise has lost 18 former players -- age 35 to 58 -- since 2000, including seven in the last 16 months." Have you taken a gander at the list of deceased Pittsburgh Steelers?

From 2000-2006

By The Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, July 19, 2006

“Fresh off their first Super Bowl victory in 26 years, the Steelers have experienced the emotional gamut. The franchise has lost 18 former players — age 35 to 58 — since 2000, including seven in the last 16 months.”

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