from a medical perspective...

[rhino222]

i am getting naffed off with the fact that cornermen/cutsmen do not wear disposable rubber gloves. it seems to take place on the continent but not here, i think it is disgusting that there is the chance to pass blood from one boxer to another via bare hands, plus the chances of infection. it should be absolutely compulsory for gloves to be worn, it is in the medical world. i think the BBB of C are seriously at fault in not making this practice compulsory, if a fighter 'caught' a blood borne disease he could sue the BBB of C..........

hopefully someone from the board will read this and take notice, the medical world is a minefield of potential litigation, its about time they stood up and smelt the coffee.

i emailed the BBB of C around the time gilbert eastman was poorly, offering my services to teach basic resus techniques to all involved in shows including whips, fighters, seconds, cutsmen, managers and promoters..in fact anyone who could be near a fighter anywhere in the arena/changing room etc..and would know what to do should a fighter collapse after a fight. i would have travelled the country to do this, attended gyms etc..... it seems the email fell on deaf ears, i received a semi token reply saying that it was all in hand....as far as im concerned nothing has changed, and its now april, and i am still getting over the referee trying to pull bradley pryces head off when he neede dleaving alone.....

[whicker]

Yes, refs should wear gloves too really (as is the case with amateurs - I think?)

I assume no-one would stop cornermen wearing gloves if they chose to?

[n1ebf]

Is it not the case that Michael Watson and Chris Eubank, not to mention others, shared a ring with no medics present (perhaps a ringside doctor only)? I've haven't started Watson's book yet but that's just from memoy, and now it compulsory. Maybe in a few year's this gloves thing will look like a glaring omission.

[winkveron]

I thought this whilst watching a fight a few weeks ago. Some cornerman with grubby hands sticking his fingers into an open wound. Not good!

[Coco]

All boxers have HIV tests and Hep jabs so there aren't any infections to pass on
Also the work of a cutsman is intricate and wearing gloves hinders their work

[Lenny]

Surgery is pretty intricate and surgeons have to wear gloves.

[n1ebf]

All boxers have HIV tests and Hep jabs so there aren't any infections to pass on
Also the work of a cutsman is intricate and wearing gloves hinders their work

those latex gloves are as thin as condoms and they don't really hinder the work do they. In fact surgeons wear them and I'd say a heart transplant is more intricate han daubing a load of vaseline over the cracks. Also the blood tests may cover you for a certain period but that doesn't make you a hundred percent immune for any given bout.

[whicker]

You can't catch HIV from open air contact (such as touching a cut) I don't think, or if you can the chance is millions to one. HIV is caught through internal contact, such as sex or needles.

Not sure about Hep.

I think one reason why doctors wear gloves too is because a glove is cleaner than a human hand, so less likely to pass dirt etc into the wound, and they cover up the nails that can cause small accident cuts too.

[jamesmcdonnell]

All boxers have HIV tests and Hep jabs so there aren't any infections to pass on
Also the work of a cutsman is intricate and wearing gloves hinders their work

Rubbish.

You are not tested for HIV before every single fight. Boxing is nowhere organised enough for that, and it wouldn't be possible in any case, as test results don't come back for weeks from the lab.

You can also test negative and still be carrying the disease.

Of course cutmen and indeed the whole corner should wear rubber gloves - it's shocking that it is not compulsary.

I notice that some cornermen do wear them, but nowhere near enough.

[jamesmcdonnell]

You can't catch HIV from open air contact (such as touching a cut) I don't think, or if you can the chance is millions to one. HIV is caught through internal contact, such as sex or needles.

Not sure about Hep.

I think one reason why doctors wear gloves too is because a glove is cleaner than a human hand, so less likely to pass dirt etc into the wound, and they cover up the nails that can cause small accident cuts too.

Again this is bollocks.

Of course you can get HIV from contact with an infected person's blood or other bodily fluids. In fact, you are WAY more likely to get it from the passing of blood than you are from sex, as the blood contains far more copies of the virus than other bodily fluids such as sperm or saliva.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

All boxers have HIV tests and Hep jabs so there aren't any infections to pass on
Also the work of a cutsman is intricate and wearing gloves hinders their work

HIV can be undetectable for 6-12months after its been caught but is still contagous

I'm not sure there is any risk of HIV though, perhaps in the unlikely event 2 cuts rubbed together, but HIV virus does die in the air but ofcourse can be caught by sharing needles so there is a small risk in boxing

[rhino222]

All boxers have HIV tests and Hep jabs so there aren't any infections to pass on
Also the work of a cutsman is intricate and wearing gloves hinders their work

complete crap, if its good enough for an eye surgeon to wear gloves at work after scrubbing up 15 times a day for 5 minutes each with chlorhexidine/iodine..then its good enough for a grubby cutsman to take the appropriate precautions.

as for the HIV tests etc...these are an annual requirement..and i dont need to tell you that a lot can happen in a year !!!

kind of blows your arguament out of the window i think...

[Coco]

Clearly such convincing arguments have persuaded British cornermen to wear them on mass!!
I've just told you the reason cornermen don't like wearing them, take it as you will

[jamesmcdonnell]

Clearly such convincing arguments have persuaded British cornermen to wear them on mass!!
I've just told you the reason cornermen don't like wearing them, take it as you will

The fact that the BBBofC have been too lazy to institute a proceedure does not make it a bad idea.

I seem to recall that they weren't particularly keen on having anaesthetists on standby and oxygen and paramedics on hand for fights...............then Michael Watson happened.

[Coco]

If cornermen wanted to use them or thought it was medically prudent to do so they of course would do.
However they are not concerned about these infections and feel it hinders their work

[Scrap]

My twopenny worth. working in a surgery is a bit differrent than a corner. Hands are touching canvas and other things gloves have static and will collect Dirt easier than Hands which can be wiped, its Hard to wipe Gloves. working on cuts a swab and Gauze system is easier Gloveless than using gloves with vaseline and shit inbedded on the Glove.

[Coco]

I suppose wearing of gloves seems common sense for someone whao hasn't worked a corner, but the reality is certainly different

[rhino222]

still bollocks, and ill be writing to the board to tell them so, its a disgrace, infection hinders healing, so does the vasaline but we cant do anything about that.

[stujones]

My twopenny worth. working in a surgery is a bit differrent than a corner. Hands are touching canvas and other things gloves have static and will collect Dirt easier than Hands which can be wiped, its Hard to wipe Gloves. working on cuts a swab and Gauze system is easier Gloveless than using gloves with vaseline and shit inbedded on the Glove.

Yes, but thats why you should wear disposable gloves... dispose of them after every round.

[Scrap]

Think about that, it wont take long. There are more important things should be addressed thats for certain.

[Coco]

This is a boxing ring not Labour's nanny state, why create problems where there aren't any??

[jamesmcdonnell]

This is a boxing ring not Labour's nanny state, why create problems where there aren't any??

Why create risks where there needn't be any?

How do all the cornermen in other countries manage to do their job with gloves on? Is there something peculiar about englishmen's hands that I am unaware of.

Resistance to change has always been the enemy of innovation - especially in a sport as traditionalist as boxing.

By your rationale, seeing as you don't want to live in a nanny state - did you think then that providing oxygen at ringside was a poor idea as well - ?

Rubber gloves used for surgery are not going to be picking up static - they are coated with a powdery substance to prevent that - don't you think that surgery is a little more critical in terms of avoiding dust than working a corner.

I am with Rhino on this, I think it is clearly bollocks that it would not be possible to carry out the job properly with gloves on - given that hundreds of fights in the US have gone perfectly well with rubber glove wearing cornermen.

I don't profess to be an expert on working the corner, but the evidence speaks for itself.

[Scrap]

I wore gloves for a few Fights and found they got dirty, and was aware of it. Iknow and understand the problems with Aids and the rest. It was the Fight with one of my Fighters involved that caused the problem. Also me checking in for an Aids test, Happy Days I dony think.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I wore gloves for a few Fights and found they got dirty, and was aware of it. Iknow and understand the problems with Aids and the rest. It was the Fight with one of my Fighters involved that caused the problem. Also me checking in for an Aids test, Happy Days I dony think.

I don't see how the gloves could get any dirtier than your hands - I mean they aren't magnetic or anything. At least with gloves if you take them off, the hands will be clean.

In any case, surely it would be simple enough to wear a new pair for each round, they aren't exactly expensive.

Boxing is risky enough - without the added risk of contracting HIV. Surely everyone is in favour of that.

[rhino222]

the gloves come in boxes of 100, im not suggesting that cornermen should use sterile ones, but they should be unsterile and sociably clean to avoid cross fighter blood borne contamination and also potential infection.