Risky Business ? (Is boxing worth the risk?)

Member Name: markbucket

Product:	Is boxing worth the risk?
Date:	03/05/06 (2663 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An outlet for controlled agression

Disadvantages: Risk of brain injury

I have to say that as a big boxing fan i had to ask the same question after watching the Joe Calazage v Jeff Lacy world title match .I haven't seen such a one sided beating in a long time, if lacy wasn't the champ and didn't have such a fearsome reputation then the fight would have been stopped at the halfway point.However , i would stay that Boxing has a place and is the worth the risk.

The Advantages
Boxing gives young people a discipline , having to train for a match takes a great deal of dedication .Therefore giving them a focus to life which may stop them falling into the wrong crowd. I'm also a great beleiver in the fact that any sport can teach a young person the values of fair play, teamwork (depending on the sport) and determination which are useful for later life.
Amatuer boxing in particular gives a controlled environment for aggression. The sport is very well regulated as seen in both the Commonwealth and Olympic games , any sign of a fighter being hurt then the bout is stopped ,sometimes to the boxers great disgust. With all the lenghty medical requirments the British Boards of control has it's plain to see that they endevour to make boxing as safe as possible.

Disadvantages
As boxing fans we have to accept the fact that people who criticise boxing do have a point, there is of course a danger of long term injury. Putting averything aside the aim of Boxing is to knock the other fighter uncouncious. I myself would accept that criticism but refer people to the sports injury statistics , Boxing is suprisingly low down the list with relatively low contact sports like football being higher up. I have to admit though that these statistics are usually used when a fighter has been hurt in the ring, of course i'd much rather see nobody seriously hurt and there be no need for this sort of statistics.

My Opinion
With a great amount of control and safety measures you can reduce risk , like with most things in life that do present an element of danger that is all you can do. I would have to say that the anti boxing lobbyists do have a point which i do respect , but i still choose to watch boxing as long as it stays controlled and hope that because of the circumstances the Calazage / Lacy fight was a one off.

Summary: With safety measures it is worth the risk