Blackwell, Towell and Gutknecht - observations

[dalcumly]

I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in coincidences, which brings me to question why 3 experienced professional boxers got so badly injured in British rings in just over 7 months.
I don't have the answer but can only speculate. Could it be something to do with the design and manufacture of the gloves? Certainly in more modern times there are far less cuts but to me the current day gloves are far firmer than those used right up until the 1990's. Up until then boxers had to make a conscious effort to close their hands to make a proper, tight fist but today the gloves are shaped so that it's possible to punch correctly with far less effort to close the fist. They seem to me to be more solid, but obviously still the same weight. They can be made even firmer by some trainers wrapping tape up over the wrist onto the back if the hand.
My next point is this. How many heavyweights suffer brain injuries? They are receiving the hardest punches , and you can't put muscle on your head to protect you, so why so few heavyweights being badly injured? Possibly because they don't have weight making issues?
Eubank, Evans and Groves are top level punchers but are not devastating, like Foreman, Tyson, Hearns and Duran. So why the damage? We need to look at this, because another bad incident in the next few months might prove to be one too many.

[jamesmcdonnell]

It's long been known that dehydration causes helps brain bleeds, due to the reduction of fluid around the brain combined with head trauma; but I'm sure there must be many other components including genetic factors.

[Emmseegee]

Like you say, the heavyweights dont have issues making weight. Also the heavyweights dont take as many shots as the smaller guys, when they do take clean shots its usually enough to end the fight.

Longer more sustained punishment is dished out among the lighter fighters, add that to dehydration and its a recipe for disaster.

My personal opinion is that the issues are all weight related, too much cutting and therfore too much manipulation of the scales.

[bigjack]

An uneducated guess would be weight making as far as i can see.

[jamesmcdonnell]

As I said, it's a known fact that dehydration causes serious issues, however, we brought in 24 hour weigh ins to stop fighters killing themselves to make weight, but all that happened is fighters take bigger liberties and risks, as they know they have 24 hours to rehydrate.

[littlepug]

Was it just an unfortunate case of the styles meshing ? in one corner a lad who hits hard but not murderess and in the other a lad not quite as good but tough enough to hang around ?

[littlepug]

By the way did anyone else start worrying for boy Jones jnrs opponent the other night ?

[dalcumly]

I also sometimes wonder about the sports nutritionists. They specialise in diets and supplements for athletes, but boxing's a different game altogether . Is this having an impact?

[samwbr]

By the way did anyone else start worrying for boy Jones jnrs opponent the other night ?

I thought the ref or his corner should have stopped it, he was getting a bad beating.

[coneye]

mY OPINION IS JUST THAT an uneducated opinion , But for me its whats just been said ,, Lighter weights cop more punches , and dehydration , is the problem ..

[m1kee50]

they should bring in the same test that they use in collegiate wrestling in the states - blood hydration levels. if your blood doesnt have enough water in it, you aint fighting, dont care how big a name, dont care what money is involved, thems the rules. make the testing kits available to trainers so they can check the boxers prior to the fights.

[lefty]

As I said, it's a known fact that dehydration causes serious issues, however, we brought in 24 hour weigh ins to stop fighters killing themselves to make weight, but all that happened is fighters take bigger liberties and risks, as they know they have 24 hours to rehydrate.

There's an MMA promotional outfit called One fc that have a system in place whereby if you fight at a certain weight- you have to be within a certain weight each week leading up until the fight and they test the fighters hydration levels consistently throughout that period aswell. If they're either found to be not at such and such weight at week 6 or they're found to be at the desired weight but severely dehydrated- they're pulled from the card.

[BitPlayer]

As well as dehydration I think another factor is Heavyweights just don't take the shear number of punches

[dalcumly]

I like the blood/water testing idea, and precise weight checking programme for 6 weeks prior to fight night.
Boxers know when weight making is hurting them, but the £ sign is a huge motivator. This is when managers and trainers have to put aside their own considerations and make responsible decisions.

[matko]

More recently if not caused by weight making I feel it's just due to the division like middle/super middle these guys hit like heavyweights but speed of lightweights at good level very hard divisions

[bruthead]

I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in coincidences.

It's not coincidence, when you have events of low probability it doesn't mean they are going to happen at regular intervals, over time it is inevitable that you will get periods of relatively high incidence like this, just as you will get (thankfully in this case) relatively long periods of no instances. Were you to look internationally, thus increasing the sample size and smoothing out the distribution, I doubt you would find any recent increase.

Blackwell and Gutknecht were similar occurrences, tough guys taking too much punishment round after round against good punchers who didn't have true KO power, where their corners should have pulled them out. I haven't followed the Towell story in depth but it sounds like he had a pre-existing injury going into the fight.

[jamesmcdonnell]

they should bring in the same test that they use in collegiate wrestling in the states - blood hydration levels. if your blood doesnt have enough water in it, you aint fighting, dont care how big a name, dont care what money is involved, thems the rules. make the testing kits available to trainers so they can check the boxers prior to the fights.

I agree, but boxing as ever, is slow to adopt new methodology. Just because something is a good idea, doesn't mean it happens.

The other problem is that boxing is only as safe as the commission overseeing it, there are plenty of highly dubious commissions around the world, and if they aren't stringent, then tests won't get done.

I didn't even know these kits existed, I'll bet they have been around for many years, and that they are cheap too.

[rm1]

In the past bouts were longer and less likely to be stopped so in terms of punches taken there are less taken now.
What has changed is the science of making weight, meaning that bigger guys can fight at lighter weights and thus suffer from dehydration in addition training is more scientific so people are hitting harder.
The only real change that can be made to enhance safety is around weight making and hydration levels as suggested above.