Is boxing wrong?

As a former amateur, I had to deal with the internal stigma about it constantly. I was raised a very religious guy, a "philosopher" like yourself wouldn't be down to hearing things of that nature. I was raised a Catholic. This is a non-issue. If you think it is wrong, know it is wrong, think it is immoral yet persist in watching it then you are doing something wrong but you obviously enjoy doing it so you have to reconcile yourself with that fact. A forum is unlikely to be the place where this will be achieved :) You talk about Floyd Patterson. What about Jack Dempsey? Fit as a fiddle as he got older and still quite sharp. He beat up some muggers when he was an old man. I met Jack Turpin, hundreds of fights (legal and illegal) yet still is engaging and quite healthy for his age. Also Ali may have suffered from illness if he had not boxed. Diet pills sped-up the deterioration, if he had stayed retired post-Spinks he may have had a relatively healthy old age. As it stands medical reports suggest that the lifetime of fitness he endured as a boxer made him stronger in the face of his illness. The man can still think, people forget this, he just cannot communicate with his prior speed.

I don't think guys far past their prime and getting beat up, shouldn't be fighting. What happened with Meldrick Taylor is disgusting.

Something to keep in mind, a lot of progress has been made with safety in the sport. Referees are stopping matches a lot sooner than they were in the past. Also fighters are fighting a lot less than in the past (which many people bitch about). The sport would be better off if some fighters knew enough to retire when they should. For whatever reason though some of them don't. Maybe they could have an enforced retirement age of 30 or 35 or a certain number of matches; in some cases that would be too early and in some cases too late though.

Dog, Floyd Patterson suffered terribly up until his death with memory loss. Don't you remember the grand jury testimonies that forced him to resign as NY Boxing Commissioner? He couldn't remember who he fought for the title, how long title fights were, anything like that. He was another reason why I have quarrels with boxing as an institution. Was that a result from boxing? I doubt there is any proof of that. Of course i understand he fought for many years and took alot of ounches to the head, but that kind of memory problem, as well as Ali's parkinsons, happens to people who dont box. I just dont like people making assumptions about the effects of boxing. Apart from the slurred speach many fighters have, which i havemt seen in people who have never boxed. I agree totally. Nobody ever forced our arms behind our back and made us watch this, if we enjoy the brutality of boxing then it must be ingrained in our souls. Boxing is the most cold blooded of all sports because there is no pension plan or anything like that to ensure that boxers are taken care of after they are done. Promoters throw stiffs in there with guys they have no chance in hell of beating so a big attraction can look good. I was at a fight last winter and this guy who had 20 losses got knocked out in the first round. I asked him why he continues to go through with this. He said "It's Christmastime soon". He's going through all this humiliation so he can make a few extra bucks to get his kids some toys. You know it would crush his children to know what he goes through to make the dough to get fucking Power Rangers under the tree. The vast majority of boxing fans complain wen it isnt competitve, or a champion fights a guy who clearly isnt a match and doesnt deserve a shot at the title. We want a proper competion. Also, would it be considered humiliating for that boxer to be washing dishes or cleaning toilets instead of being KO'd? Or is he doing what he loves, although not succeeding. Alot of people would feel like a piece of shit taking orders from some asshole boss, doing a shitty job and getting pain shit. He is an athlete, a sportsman. I would have thought he would be proud of what he does to earn money.

Boxing could work as sword with double edge. If you look in a latin comunity there are things worse than boxing. There are many gangs and shit like that that it really hard to not go somewhere for protection or someplace to take you anger. For example if you look in many gang member they are filled with tattos and marks symbols of there gang. but if you see there is many boxers who dont have these tattos. for example Margarito, Morales, Chavez and many other mexician boxer is better to be a boxer than to go to gang and you probalby end up in two road dead or jailed. and that goes for Mayorga too. But on the other hand i have the same thing going on. It better to have a full brain that a brain that is damaged. I seen many boxers speech are a bit splured and they seem to be unhealthy. Have anyone seen the Dezel Washington movie about Rubin Carter. There is a nice quto there: " Hate put me in jail and love taken me out." I think boxing skills and power really didnt did anything for him in jail but to use his power with hate but once he started writing he was became free and touch a boy that lived a 1,000 miles. that is really insprational story to see

I believe he was 60 or 61 at the time he got hit real bad by the alzheimers and pugilistic dementia. Prior to that I read that he didn't show many signs. How many people have their heart explode or die from complications of an unhealthy diet or get taken by cancer in their 50s? I think he had a pretty long and productive life, even if those last 8 to 10 years weren't good. Even if you drop Patterson as an argument, there are plenty of others with more fights than that that came out of boxing with their health reasonably intact. And if the dementia doesn't hit until the 60s, exactly how much are they missing? I agree, I don't want to diminish how great a life he or other boxers had. It's just sad to me really, its hurtful to a large extent.

Dog, Floyd Patterson suffered terribly up until his death with memory loss. Don't you remember the grand jury testimonies that forced him to resign as NY Boxing Commissioner? He couldn't remember who he fought for the title, how long title fights were, anything like that. He was another reason why I have quarrels with boxing as an institution. I believe he was 60 or 61 at the time he got hit real bad by the alzheimers and pugilistic dementia. Prior to that I read that he didn't show many signs. How many people have their heart explode or die from complications of an unhealthy diet or get taken by cancer in their 50s? I think he had a pretty long and productive life, even if those last 8 to 10 years weren't good. Even if you drop Patterson as an argument, there are plenty of others with more fights than that that came out of boxing with their health reasonably intact. And if the dementia doesn't hit until the 60s, exactly how much are they missing?

Speak for yourself!! :D LOL...what I meant was testosterone lowers when the "Animal" side of "Man" is gone. Testosterone levels are lower today because children don't grow up playing sports and adults are more inactive then ever. Their is a reason why Soldiers have some of the highest levels of testosterone

What is morally wrong about athletes participating in controlled combat. Yea it consists of inflicting pain, but you have just as good a chance to hurt the guy that is hurting you. No animosity, no bad intentions. When all is said and done you hug one another and go home. Punching an old man in the face cuz he smells like Ben-Gay is morally wrong. Not punching a man who is trying to punch you. That is self defense. In boxing's case, it exploits that art of self defense and it takes it to the next level.

Forget about the guilt. You sound like you are over-conceptualising things too much, this is Ok if you go in the non-guilt direction. You sound like a good, sensitive guy yet it does come across as slightly patronising that boxing needs fans likeyour good self to provide a conscience. Boxing was brutal as hell in ancient Greece yet dying in the ring was what the fighters aspired to as it made them gods and ensured that their families got looked after. We have progressed, the sport is safer and we can enjoy it with a clear mind. Stuntmen die making movies yet we barely register that, in boxing we see it happen there and that probably makes it seem harsher than the sport is. Boxing is a wonderfully united sport when something bad happens. As a former amateur, I had to deal with the internal stigma about it constantly. I was raised a very religious guy, a "philosopher" like yourself wouldn't be down to hearing things of that nature.

I never said the world was perfect, and I have no complaints about boxing. I love boxing more than anything in this world, believe that. I just wanted to address the guilt that has been on my conscience for the last 5 years. Forget about the guilt. You sound like you are over-conceptualising things too much, this is Ok if you go in the non-guilt direction. You sound like a good, sensitive guy yet it does come across as slightly patronising that boxing needs fans likeyour good self to provide a conscience. Boxing was brutal as hell in ancient Greece yet dying in the ring was what the fighters aspired to as it made them gods and ensured that their families got looked after. We have progressed, the sport is safer and we can enjoy it with a clear mind. Stuntmen die making movies yet we barely register that, in boxing we see it happen there and that probably makes it seem harsher than the sport is. Boxing is a wonderfully united sport when something bad happens.

There are more deaths in football and many other sports per 1000 participants than there are in boxing based on every study I've read. But yes, perhaps boxing is morally wrong. I had quit for a while thinking it was. Now I am back in. I just can't get away from it. Not right now. I try to break away from it and was even happy abit when my laptop was stolen cuz then I could avoid it a bit. The truth is that it hasn't changed the fact that I love to hit and get hit, and also to watch people do the same.

There are more deaths in football and many other sports per 1000 participants than there are in boxing based on every study I've read. But yes, perhaps boxing is morally wrong. I had quit for a while thinking it was. Now I am back in. I just can't get away from it. Not right now.

Yes Boxing is immoral and wrong. Now you can stop posting on it Asian:banana: You're only looking at one side of the coin dumbass. Not looking at all it's facets is being plain ignorant.

God I hate these kinds of threads.

Probably the worst thing about boxing is those savages in the audience. The so called fans are far more worse than boxers ever thought of being. Just look at some of the posts in this forum! I agree totally. Nobody ever forced our arms behind our back and made us watch this, if we enjoy the brutality of boxing then it must be ingrained in our souls. Boxing is the most cold blooded of all sports because there is no pension plan or anything like that to ensure that boxers are taken care of after they are done. Promoters throw stiffs in there with guys they have no chance in hell of beating so a big attraction can look good. I was at a fight last winter and this guy who had 20 losses got knocked out in the first round. I asked him why he continues to go through with this. He said "It's Christmastime soon". He's going through all this humiliation so he can make a few extra bucks to get his kids some toys. You know it would crush his children to know what he goes through to make the dough to get fucking Power Rangers under the tree.

Ive been waiting for a thread like this

Morally, is boxing wrong? It's the only sport where fatalities are an aspect of what occurs. There is no way around it, boxing is violence. The apologists say that boxing is an effective way to get kids out of the ghetto, but sometimes at the expense of their health. Don't get me wrong, boxing is beautiful. But whenever I see Muhammad Ali shaking or Emmile Griffith can't even remember any of his opponents, it just makes me angry. Beauty and art should not come at the expense of great people's well being. In a perfect world, boxing wouldn't be harmful to others. We could enjoy ourselves while giving reverance to braver men than ourselves. I can appreciate a master boxer in total command of his craft, like a Pernell Whitaker or a Willy Pep. The truth is though that the appeal of the sport is in the brutality and savageness of disadvantaged youths hurting each other competitively. I honestly have been trying to break my addiction to the sport, but it's of no use. I understand that morally, it is wrong to hurt anybody. When I decided to start boxing, I promised myself that I wouldn't fight out of the ring and would try my best not to hurt anyone. While trying not to damage another person seriously is noble, it detracts from your performance some in a violent, contact sport. If boxing was abolished tommorrow, I would be sad for awhile looking for something else to devote all of my time to, but would breathe a sigh of relief for being given flash detox of a drug that is hard to break the cycle of. Probably the worst thing about boxing is those savages in the audience. The so called fans are far more worse than boxers ever thought of being. Just look at some of the posts in this forum!

Yeah, but explain Moore and LaMotta or how Floyd Patterson showed nothing until a year or two before his death. I would definitely say that the guys who suffered serious injury or death in boxing weren't done in by a single punch, they fought on when they were hurt and in doing so knew the risks they were taking. Dog, Floyd Patterson suffered terribly up until his death with memory loss. Don't you remember the grand jury testimonies that forced him to resign as NY Boxing Commissioner? He couldn't remember who he fought for the title, how long title fights were, anything like that. He was another reason why I have quarrels with boxing as an institution. It's more than the brutality, because I myself have given to that vice many times. It's how unforgiving boxing is. Boxing itself doesn't care.

The list is ridiculous. Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Young, Jerry Quarrey, Sandy Saddler, I mean it's really just a part of the game. Boxing is beauty and it is art, but should such a price be commensurate with art and beauty? Yeah, but explain Moore and LaMotta or how Floyd Patterson showed nothing until a year or two before his death. I would definitely say that the guys who suffered serious injury or death in boxing weren't done in by a single punch, they fought on when they were hurt and in doing so knew the risks they were taking.