• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

Boxing Should Be Banned

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
ScriptOhio

ScriptOhio

Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Anyone one else think that boxing should be outlawed in this country. People get hurt (and some even die) in other sports. However, the objective in the other sports isn't "to hit your opponent as hard as possible anywhere above the waist to render him unconscious (i.e. Knock Out or KO)".

Another boxer died today from injuries sustained "in the ring boxing". The article says "He died living his dream". I'm sure that dying was not part of his dream:


Updated: Sep. 22, 2005, 10:36 PM ET
Johnson dies from brain injury sustained in title fight


<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

<!-- begin presby2 -->
<!-- end presby2 -->
<!-- end bylinebox -->
<!-- begin text11 div -->
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->
Leavander Johnson, who suffered a serious brain injury defending his lightweight world title last Saturday night, died on Thursday. He was 35.
a_johnson_275.jpg

AP/Isaac Brekken
Johnson was in a coma less than an hour after his bout with Chavez.




Johnson died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas at 4:23 p.m. PT, five days after losing to Jesus Chavez, who scored an 11th-round TKO on an HBO PPV card at the MGM Grand.
Johnson, a 16-year pro, collapsed minutes after taking a one-sided beating from Chavez. Johnson was rushed to the hospital, and within 40 minutes was undergoing emergency surgery to relieve pressure from a subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain. He was placed in a medically induced coma, from which he never awoke.
"All of my prayers are with Leavander Johnson and his family in this difficult time," Chavez said in a statement. "He was a true warrior with a tremendous heart, and every day I will think of him and say a prayer for him. He will never be forgotten."
Although Johnson showed dramatic improvement a day after the surgery, he suffered a setback. Another blood clot was discovered in his brain, and he had a second surgery that left him weakened.
"We at DiBella Entertainment are devastated by the loss of our great friend and champion," said Lou DiBella, Johnson's promoter. "Our prayers are with his parents, children, siblings and loved ones. His passing is a terrible reminder of the dangers inherent in our sport of boxing.
"Despite the high level of medical care and regulation in Nevada, it is also a reminder that the health and safety of fighters must be protected to the greatest extent possible and that national, uniform health and safety regulations must be instituted and enforced. If there is any comfort to be taken at this time of great sorrow, it is that Leavander lived his dream and died a champion doing what he loved most."
Bill Johnson, Leavander's father and trainer, was at his son's bedside when he died, as was his mother, sister, two brothers and girlfriend. Funeral plans are pending. "Bill Johnson, on behalf of the family, wishes to thank the public and boxing community for the love and support that they extended to Leavander and his team," a DiBella Entertainment statement said. "Bill would also like to wish the best of luck to Jesus Chavez, a great champion, and to tell him that he is blameless in this tragic situation. DiBella Entertainment and the family are establishing the Leavander Fund to support the essential needs and education of Leavander's four children."
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=4><SPACER type="block" width="3" height="1"></TD><TD>[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]“[/FONT]</TD><TD width=225>[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]There will be all these people who will come out and say this is the brutality of our sport. ... Nobody blames auto racing when guys die hitting walls driving 200 miles per hour because it's not poor kids who race cars. It's poor kids who fight.[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] ”[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=4><SPACER type="block" width="3" height="1"></TD><TD></TD><TD width=225>[FONT=Times,serif]— [/FONT][FONT=Times,serif]Lou DiBella, Leavander Johnson's promoter[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Details on the fund are expected to be released later.
Chavez, whose visit to Johnson in the hospital was comforting to his family, said he plans to honor Johnson.
"The best way I can do justice to the title Leavander and I both proudly held is to defend it well and to be a true champion in and out of the ring, like he was," said Chavez, who added that he would donate a portion of each purse he makes as long as he is holds the title to the fund being set up.
Johnson's death is the second in Las Vegas this year. Martin Sanchez of Mexico died July 2, the day after he was stopped by Rustam Nugaev of Russia. It is the fifth ring death in Las Vegas since 1994.
"Leavander Johnson epitomized what all boxers should want to be, a courageous and skilled boxer who always gave his best every time he stepped through the ropes," said Oscar De La Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, which promoted the card. "His loss is a tremendous blow to the boxing community and to me personally. He was a class act and a good man. Leavander will be missed."
Said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer: "Our prayers are with the family. We were hoping that he was going to make it through. Now we can just pray for the Johnson family and I wish them strength in this moment. It's a tragedy. It's something that should never happen."
Johnson turned pro in 1989 and finished with a record of 34-5-2 with 26 knockouts. After three previous unsuccessful title shots, he got a fourth opportunity on June 17.
Fighting as the underdog, Johnson stopped Italian Stefano Zoff in the seventh round to win the vacant IBF title on June 17 in Milan. Three months later to the day, Chavez stopped Johnson in his first title defense, for which he earned a career-high $150,000.
Chavez dominated Johnson, hitting him with more than 400 blows, many clean head shots. But Johnson was known for his huge heart and continued to fight.
Bill Johnson considered stopping the fight after the eighth and ninth rounds but Leavander convinced him to allow him to continue. Ringside physician Margaret Goodman also examined him between rounds and allowed the fight to continue.
But at 38 seconds of the 11th round, with Chavez punishing Johnson along the ropes, referee Tony Weeks interceded.
Johnson left the ring under his own power, but began to drag his left leg while walking back to the dressing room. Minutes later, he collapsed.
"He fought like a warrior when he was on death's door," a weeping DiBella said. "There will be all these people who will come out and say this is the brutality of our sport. It is, but this was also something where you can't blame people. Nobody blames auto racing when guys die hitting walls driving 200 miles per hour because it's not poor kids who race cars. It's poor kids who fight. But Leavander didn't want to be a drug dealer, he didn't want to hustle on the streets, he didn't want to do the wrong thing. He wanted to be a world champion, and that's what he became." "He died living his dream."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2169415
 
This one is a touchy subject. I think with all the injuries and deaths and things of that nature that boxing has taken a fall.

I do know one thing that you can watch a hell of a football, baseball, or basketball game and not feel the adrenaline you have when watching a heavyweigth fight.
 
Upvote 0
ScriptOhio said:
Anyone one else think that boxing should be outlawed in this country. People get hurt (and some even die) in other sports. However, the objective in the other sports isn't "to hit your opponent as hard as possible anywhere above the waist to render him unconscious (i.e. Knock Out or KO)".
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's far more violent than a game where 250-pound guys running at 4.5 speed are trying to break you in half on every play. :roll1:
 
Upvote 0
Alright!!! Me and golfer agree with something NOT in the romper room!! Now if I can find something besides hating michigan to agree with GoBucki and BuckeyeFool about then I will believe world peace is truely achievable :)
 
Upvote 0
I am a huge boxing fan and get almost all the PPV's, but the problem w/ boxing is the repeated pounding. Everyone says how violent UFC is but IMO it is actually safer because once you are hurt badly it is evident to the judge and the fight is stopped. Boxers won't quit in a fight for fear of the stigma of being a quitter, the corner should stop more fights IMO. All of that being said anyone who thinks boxing should be banned is an idiot.
 
Upvote 0
I don't care what happens in boxing - if competent adults are making the decision it is their call. It is pretty much like bull fighting, if the bull doesn't want to get slaughtered he should stay out of the ring.


It would be interesting to see the demographics on boxing. There is an argument to be made that poor young men make the decsion to pursue boxing as a career without fully understanding what they are getting into. The Don King-like folks who surround the sport aren't exacty going to give them balanced advice and as their career progresses and the poundings continue their judgement does not improve.

I was a huge Ali fan, but watching what became of him later makes me cringe.

***

All that said, since I mentioned bull fighting I have to tell my bull fighting story:

This guys is in Madrid on vacation. He is sitting in a 5 star restaurant scanning the menu when he notices a dish being served at the next table. It is a plate of pasta topped with two huge meatballs.

He asks the waiter about it and is told that the restaurant is next to the bull ring. When the bull is killed they remove his testicles and serve them as a delicacy. It is quite expensive, but since he will only be in Madrid once the man decides to go for it.

Half an hour later he is brought a plate of pasta, but on top are two scrawny meatballs - nothing like what he was expecting.

When he asks for an explanation the waiter tells him: "Senior, you must understand. Sometimes the bull - he wins."
 
Upvote 0
I think a legitimate argument can be made for outlawing boxing, but that argument must include the other major problem, the significantly profound amount of corruption pervading the sport. It's by far the dirtiest sport in the world, and when you add that to the consistent amount of deaths year after year, the record becomes pretty clear that the costs may outweigh the benifits.

The counterargument that these are adults making the proactive decisions to put themselves at risk is baseless. We don't authorize knife-fights, and I'm pretty sure duels are no longer legal, even if the participants are willing. Professional fighters's fists may be less lethal weapons, but they are lethal weapons nonetheless, and it isn't so cut-and-dry that nothing wrong is going on with the sport. The boxing commissions shortened fights from 15 rounds to 12- and 10 rounds for a reason.

I'm not saying that boxing should be completely outlawed. But at a bare minimum, it needs to be better regulated, both medically and ethically. I used to love going up to the Ohio State Fair every year with my dad to watch the amatuer boxing. It's a great sport because it involves the heart of the participants more than any other sport out there, and there's something very American about that. But boxing could be better, and those who care so much about the sport need to step up and clean it up, or else they will have no one to blame but themselves when it does indeed become outlawed.

ps. Ali's Parkinsons was not caused by boxing. Too many blows to the head causes someone to lose sharpness of mind and memory. Ali's mind is still sharp--he's not becoming retarded--he's just physically limited in what he can do and express due to the illness. Meldrick Taylor is a prime example of someone's brain getting turned into pulp.
 
Upvote 0
I love Sam Peters potential and Klitchko is just a bitch. When he wasn't holding he was running. Klitchko's only real skill is his height, if he was 6' 2" instead of 6' 6" no one would have ever heard of him. I hate him and his brother. The Cotto fight was extremely entertaining and there have been so many good fights lately that the thought of banning boxing upsets me. This conversation comes up everytime a tragedy like this happens. The shame is Johnson essentially died from being too tough. Truly a shame..
 
Upvote 0
ps. Ali's Parkinsons was not caused by boxing. Too many blows to the head causes someone to lose sharpness of mind and memory. Ali's mind is still sharp--he's not becoming retarded--he's just physically limited in what he can do and express due to the illness. Meldrick Taylor is a prime example of someone's brain getting turned into pulp.
Click to expand...

You got me doing some research - which of course supports you statement. To be precise, the relationship between Parkinson's and boxing is not clearly understood but it is believed not to be a direct contributor. Thanks for keeping me straight.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top