Has Michael Gomez got dementia ?

[Black Sam Bellamy]

Come on Jim, his outside the ring activities can’t have helped?

Won't have helped but he took a lot of shots sparring and in fights. Some just out of sheer bravado and some because of his style. Sad thing is when he wanted to make himself hard to hit he could do. Never needed to be a scrapper but it was how he was wired up.

All the Hunslet boys went sparring in Collyhurst once. Brian told everyone to pack in except Darren Rhodes. He was ruthless about how hard the game is. Danny James had a 6x3 war with Gomez, for free.

Were they wearing headguards ?

[Jimmy2020]

Won't have helped but he took a lot of shots sparring and in fights. Some just out of sheer bravado and some because of his style. Sad thing is when he wanted to make himself hard to hit he could do. Never needed to be a scrapper but it was how he was wired up.

All the Hunslet boys went sparring in Collyhurst once. Brian told everyone to pack in except Darren Rhodes. He was ruthless about how hard the game is. Danny James had a 6x3 war with Gomez, for free.

Were they wearing headguards ?

Why do you say that?

[Black Sam Bellamy]

Saw some footage recently of some of the Manchester lads sparring without headguards back in the day, just wondered if it was commonplace. Certainly hope not for their long term wellbeing.

[mickey1975]

Saw some footage recently of some of the Manchester lads sparring without headguards back in the day, just wondered if it was commonplace. Certainly hope not for their long term wellbeing.

I know a lot of fighters who’ve never worn one.

[Coco]

To be honest headguards are useful to prevent cuts

[stujones]

Very sad...would he be 50?

I do sometimes find the sport hard when you see guys with major slurred speech continuing. I do wonder if there is a trend between slurred speech and continuing and pugilist dementia

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

[banjo]

Very sad...would he be 50?

I do sometimes find the sport hard when you see guys with major slurred speech continuing. I do wonder if there is a trend between slurred speech and continuing and pugilist dementia

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

I remember Nicky Piper taking a fair bit of punishment in his career and he seems well enough too.

[Coco]

Very sad...would he be 50?

I do sometimes find the sport hard when you see guys with major slurred speech continuing. I do wonder if there is a trend between slurred speech and continuing and pugilist dementia

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

I think Graham Earl is still in jail

[Coco]

Scrub that he has been out for a bit

[Bleak]

Very sad...would he be 50?

I do sometimes find the sport hard when you see guys with major slurred speech continuing. I do wonder if there is a trend between slurred speech and continuing and pugilist dementia

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

I remember wiling the ref to stop that
Fight v Khan he’s was taking some nasty stick
If I remember rightly.

[REEVE]

Scrub that he has been out for a bit

Do you suffer at all pal

[high tower 1]

Very sad...would he be 50?

I do sometimes find the sport hard when you see guys with major slurred speech continuing. I do wonder if there is a trend between slurred speech and continuing and pugilist dementia

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

I’m no expert but I think it depends from person to person. Look at someone like Jake lamotta v riddick bowe.

[mickey1975]

A journeyman I know is as forgetful as they come, but he was like that at school, so who knows?

[Coco]

Scrub that he has been out for a bit

Do you suffer at all pal

I dunno, certainly not badly, but I reckon for a while my short term memory wasn't great, however it's not really a problem now, I def think it's improved.

Also say for example you forget something, at times you second guess yourself, is it boxing or being absent minded.

I did go through a phase when I got in the car when I wrote down what I was doing as a couple of times I was driving, realised I had no idea where I was going so just had to go home.

I remember getting stopped by the old bill once and they thought it was like some coded tick list!
What does go the supermarket and then to the pub really mean!!

But that hasn't happened for a long time.

[Steveh583]

For every boxer still sharp as a tack, I would imagine there’s 3 suffering in some way

[Jimmy2020]

Scrub that he has been out for a bit

Do you suffer at all pal

I dunno, certainly not badly, but I reckon for a while my short term memory wasn't great, however it's not really a problem now, I def think it's improved.

Also say for example you forget something, at times you second guess yourself, is it boxing or being absent minded.

I did go through a phase when I got in the car when I wrote down what I was doing as a couple of times I was driving, realised I had no idea where I was going so just had to go home.

I remember getting stopped by the old bill once and they thought it was like some coded tick list!
What does go the supermarket and then to the pub really mean!!

But that hasn't happened for a long time.

Ha. That's just our age. I put er indoors' daffodils in the fridge the other day.

[REEVE]

Scrub that he has been out for a bit

Do you suffer at all pal

I dunno, certainly not badly, but I reckon for a while my short term memory wasn't great, however it's not really a problem now, I def think it's improved.

Also say for example you forget something, at times you second guess yourself, is it boxing or being absent minded.

I did go through a phase when I got in the car when I wrote down what I was doing as a couple of times I was driving, realised I had no idea where I was going so just had to go home.

I remember getting stopped by the old bill once and they thought it was like some coded tick list!
What does go the supermarket and then to the pub really mean!!

But that hasn't happened for a long time.

Thats good to hear marc mate, i seem to have gaps in my short term memory, worrying at times but it comes with the territory i suppose

I think im going to start doing memory games n stuff.

[Coco]

Do you suffer at all pal

I dunno, certainly not badly, but I reckon for a while my short term memory wasn't great, however it's not really a problem now, I def think it's improved.

Also say for example you forget something, at times you second guess yourself, is it boxing or being absent minded.

I did go through a phase when I got in the car when I wrote down what I was doing as a couple of times I was driving, realised I had no idea where I was going so just had to go home.

I remember getting stopped by the old bill once and they thought it was like some coded tick list!
What does go the supermarket and then to the pub really mean!!

But that hasn't happened for a long time.

Thats good to hear marc mate, i seem to have gaps in my short term memory, worrying at times but it comes with the territory i suppose

I think im going to start doing memory games n stuff.

I reckon doing reading and crosswords is helpful, not just for ex boxers but anyone who wants to keep their mind sharp

[stujones]

There definitely is. If you get cracked on the head enough it will do that.

They’re going to have to look at hard sparring sessions in pro and am gyms.

True but then you get some who are still sharp as anything in their aging years - Jim Watt had plenty of tough fights, but you could never guess he was a boxer. George Foreman tool some beatings 5 or 6 fights in his late 30s - but is sharp as anything.

You would surely think when a boxer had slurred speech there must be neurological damage, so why isn't it being picked up in scans...... another fighter whose speech always worried me (I hope he is okay) was Graham Earl.

I’m no expert but I think it depends from person to person. Look at someone like Jake lamotta v riddick bowe.

Absolutely - but my point was how can a fighter with clear speech issues pass medicals / brain scans. Impairments have surely got to be showing up.

[high tower 1]

Tris Dixon has a book coming out about brain trauma in boxing. I can’t read or watch anything about that though. Prefer to be blissfully ignorant!

[liamlion]

For the people referencing Jim Watt, NIcky Piper etc who speak well, I recently heard Carl Froch talking with Matt Macklin about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma (often athletes), including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms) and he spoke about brain damage he’s sustained from boxing and talking about increased forgetfulness and blackouts of memory. Yet, you could be forgiven for thinking that Froch speaks relatively well and so he must not have suffered any ill-effects from his boxing career.

Good speech doesn’t always tell the full story.

I’d be amazed if anyone getting punched in the head regularly doesn’t suffer some side-effect related to brain damage.

[REEVE]

For the people referencing Jim Watt, NIcky Piper etc who speak well, I recently heard Carl Froch talking with Matt Macklin about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma (often athletes), including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms) and he spoke about brain damage he’s sustained from boxing and talking about increased forgetfulness and blackouts of memory. Yet, you could be forgiven for thinking that Froch speaks relatively well and so he must not have suffered any ill-effects from his boxing career.

Good speech doesn’t always tell the full story.

I’d be amazed if anyone getting punched in the head regularly doesn’t suffer some side-effect related to brain damage.

I had to stop boxing due to cte mate and blackouts of memory he mentions is right, like having a convo twice with ppl and them having to tell youve already said the same thing twice, forgetting peoples names etc

[liamlion]

For the people referencing Jim Watt, NIcky Piper etc who speak well, I recently heard Carl Froch talking with Matt Macklin about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma (often athletes), including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms) and he spoke about brain damage he’s sustained from boxing and talking about increased forgetfulness and blackouts of memory. Yet, you could be forgiven for thinking that Froch speaks relatively well and so he must not have suffered any ill-effects from his boxing career.

Good speech doesn’t always tell the full story.

I’d be amazed if anyone getting punched in the head regularly doesn’t suffer some side-effect related to brain damage.

I had to stop boxing due to cte mate and blackouts of memory he mentions is right, like having a convo twice with ppl and them having to tell youve already said the same thing twice, forgetting peoples names etc

Sorry to hear that pal.

It is a crime how little most boxers are paid given they risk their health so massively.

[brilo33]

sad , iam inbertween reading his book at the mo tough life , only a young man really hope all the best for him ,his fight with alex arthur one of many classics

[brilo33]

when you talk about brain truma and injuries, its the reason i never dig out a boxer for going for the money as it is a deadly serious sport,