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Yes and no. Fewer rounds, fewer fights, better gloves and mouth guards, medical attention before, during and after fights make for a safer sport. However, the old trainers will tell you that there are too many fly by night trainers who are not teaching the fighters right. Some of them don't know defence and take unnecessary punches. So from that perspective, it is more dangerous
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No not even close bud.
I'm not even going to dispute the evolutionary claims, that's fine that you believe that, just consider the laws.
Firstly boxing in America starts out as an unarmed dueling competition in ******ia that had no rules. Eye gouging and castration become such common forms of victory the government of the time was forced to make specific forms of victory, like castration, a felony.
Racism, don't think I need to go into it too much, used to be dangerous to be a successful black boxers, they got mobbed often. Second to them, unsurprisingly; ***s.
Tom Spring made the first rules about what to do if the audience stormed the ring and mobbed the man they didn't want to win because it happened often.
When Yankee Sullivan lost to John Morrissey he did so because Morrissey was the leader of a gang and had goons around the ring all pointings their firearms on Yankee. Yanke was a proud dude so he beat the **** out of Morrissey, knocked him out and into a bloody pulp, but, before the ref could count Morrissey out Sullivan left the ring and listened as he was officially DQ'd. Thereby salvaging his reputation while appeasing Morrissey's ******** obligations. Yankee would later be murdered by the vigilance committee, stabbed. All of this **** is known because it was legal, no reason to cover it up....well not against boxing's rules anyway. Against the law for sure.
When Nonpariel fought Reagan for the MW crown Nonpariel suffered a four inch gash caused by Reagan's very legal quarter inch steel cleats. I don't remember the story exactly as far as how many rounds, but I think it was in the ballpark of 45 or so. They begin on a barge that starts sinking after a few rounds, they swim to shore and fight a few more rounds in a boathouse, The cops come to break up the fight and force a draw so they scatter up a mountain and continue for more rounds in the show until finally Dempsey KOs Reagan.
There's canvas and padding on ring floors these days because Jimmy Barry killed fools until they added it.
The time limit in boxing came because big men kept exhausting themselves to death and smaller guys don't sell tickets.
The fifteen rounder ended because fifteen rounds is still too long to ensure fighters can't easily exhaust themselves to death.
The neutral corner came in to give fighters more time between batterings.
The three KD rule is there to save fighters from brain injuries.
I'm sure there's a ton more I'm forgetting, but you get the point. Boxing is much more refined, but, more dangerous? Not even close. As you go back in time it gets way more dangerous and more so the farther you go.
It is more global than ever before, possibly more talented, but not dangerous. Present boxing is a kitten compared to its historical boxing.Comment
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