Make boxing safer by using head-gear and heavy gloves

head gear and bigger gloves need to be left in amateur boxing..what profesional boxing needs is more educated refs and better ringside doctors because they are the ones that can stop a fight .they should have to take some type of course on a yearly basis approved by all athletic comissions which covers all aspects of when a fight should be stoped..

Why not require head-gear and heavier gloves to professional boxing, as they do in amateur boxing? This will give an edge to boxers who have skills, but will make things a lot safer. totally disagree, this is mans sport not ballet. and boxing has much less deaths than for example fotball. as someone said earlier, its the ability to end a fight at any time that makes it so exiting.

Is there data to show that headgear is more/less harmfull to a fighter? I suppose we can only rely on opinions of professionals. If you haven't ever sparred with headgear, I'm sure most of the people who have can relate to this: Getting hit with headgear hurts just as much without, and often it seems to have a more jarring effect. I'd rather fight without it, personally.

I agree with most of the posters that headgear and heavier gloves are a nono. Judges simply have to be smart about these things. Everybody loves a comeback and doesn't want a fight to be stopped, but then things like this happen. I agree with bozo as well that corners should hold more responsibility. They should know when their fighter has had enough and be able to immediately stop a fight if they wish to.

I think there are some things that can be done to at the very least prevent some tragedies. There should be a very extensive medical tests and brain scans before each fight. Now I know this will not save you from a beating and injuries sustained in this beating but it could help prevent some tragedies. There should be very good tests now to see how much damage a fighter has accumalated in his carreer and maybe even how much he can take. I mean come on, we live in 2005 now. Also, there's a heavy responsibility on the shoulders of referees, doctors, corner men and IMO even the fighter himself. Quitting should not be as much as a shame as it is now. Only the fighter can tell how he feels.

Head gear and bigger gloves is a stupid idea. As mentioned, head gear protects agaisnt cuts primarily, and limits vision. Bigger gloves would only prolong beatings, lessing the instance of KO's allowing fighters to take more punishment. It's a tough call beyond that, because havin a ref or corner obligated to stop a one sided fight would prevent a come from behind KO, which is a vital part of the sport. Boxing isn't just about points, so when someone is behind going into the final rounds, they have every right to have the opportunity to go for the come from behind KO. There just isn't a simple sollution for this. The only answer is to hope corners will know their fighters well enough to make the call should their fighter be in trouble. But again, there's no way to make that mandatory. The only way to ensure guys aren't going to seriosuly injure eachother is to prevent them from hitting eachother.

The come from behind victory is one of the things that makes boxing such a great sport though. You'll never see a baseball game where Team A is kickiing the shit out of Team B only to have Team B score a victory in the last minute. Last year Red Sox. Braves 7 run 9th inning about 2 years ago. This year they had a 10 run 9th inning against the marlins

Why not require head-gear and heavier gloves to professional boxing, as they do in amateur boxing? This will give an edge to boxers who have skills, but will make things a lot safer. From a safety point of view i dont wear a headguard when sparring, it limits my view and makes me get hit more. I dont think pro's should ever wear guards because it will kill the sport, which in turn will kill all the no hopers who use boxing to change their lives. Boxing only takes a few lives but saves thousands. 12oz gloves would be OK though, just as long as they are made streamline so its no too bulky. But if i'm honest i'd prefer to keep things as it is.

Head gear in professional boxing? Who would pay to see that. Boxing is entertainment first, sport second, lets get that clear. If we do have headgear in the pro circuit then we need to have also a tag-team boxing match.......wait that sounds interesting. Hmmmmmmmm. Would you guys watch a tag-team boxing match? Of course the winning team would be the boxer left standing. Both members of the team must be defeated for the other team to win. Sorry I'm bored at work. :D

What boxing needs is good referees who were former fights themselves and understand what is going on in the ring and when a fight needs to be stopped. In the current state, the way referees are chosen for fights is rediculous. It's politics. The high profile referees are rarely the best men for the job.

If fights were stopped when a fighter appears to have lost JL Castillo would've won his fight against Corrales. Do you really want to give up fights like that? I don't. . Coralles lost that fight in my eyes. He won it dishonestly. They should have stopped it after he had spit out the mouthpiece for the second time.

I think using accumulation of punches is a bad idea. If that should be the rule, Ali would never have beaten Foreman. Boxing is about 2 different fighters, each have their strength and weakness, you've got to give a guy a chance to exploit those. If you make accumulation of punches a rule, then that means weaker guys will always lose vs. stronger opponents cause after they get bull rushed the fight will be called. Boxing is just fine as it is

Brain damage and clots do not occur because you were hit by something hard, they occur because your head was suddenly snapped back and your brain was temporarily dislodged from its position within your skull. I don't care if you make a boxer wear 20 oz gloves, it's not going to significantly lessen the kinetic energy behind his punches. That's just a fact.

If fights were stopped when a fighter appears to have lost JL Castillo would've won his fight against Corrales. Do you really want to give up fights like that? I don't. A fighter knows the risk before he steps through the ropes. It's an issue of personal responsability. The corner also has some responsability to stop it when they think their fighter is either in danger of getting injured or he is just outclassed and there is no way to win the fight.

Thats crazy, when I did karate I kicked a guy so hard with a high kick his head gear flew off his head, but he was allright. Imagine if he had no head gear on. Its essential. ...............wax on, whack off

People get rocked, dropped, buzzed, & knocked out...wearing 16-18oz. gloves & headgear. Your head is getting hit, jolted. Remember.....boxers are ususally seriously injured from an accumulation of punishment, over many rounds. you may be right -- i just wanted to start a discussion any way to make it safer would be good i think accumulation of a large number of punches should be a reason to stop fights

People get rocked, dropped, buzzed, & knocked out...wearing 16-18oz. gloves & headgear. Your head is getting hit, jolted. Remember.....boxers are ususally seriously injured from an accumulation of punishment, over many rounds.

that's crazy, but you do not kick in the head or else you get kicked in between legs Well like a normal strike is 1 point, while head shot is 2 points. I believe, I haven't done it in a while.

Thats crazy, when I did karate I kicked a guy so hard with a high kick his head gear flew off his head, but he was allright. Imagine if he had no head gear on. Its essential. that's crazy, but you do not kick in the head or else you get kicked in between legs seriously, it was semi-contact... and no punches/kicks in the head

yes, karate, no head-gear, no gloves Thats crazy, when I did karate I kicked a guy so hard with a high kick his head gear flew off his head, but he was allright. Imagine if he had no head gear on. Its essential.