Is boxing getting more dangerous? (Serious question)

[ThunderFists]

Forget about what we had witnessed in maxim dadashev vs subriel matias and other tragedies we had in our beloved sport, im talking about how advanced the younger generation of fighters are becoming. Look at what teofimo lopez did the other day to commey. The punches thud sounded like a baseball bat throughout the arena.Tank davis, Naoya Inoue and Virgil ortiz are other scarily heavyhanded young men and are not even in their primes yet. With how advanced boxing has become through science and technology are we now designing killers? Nutrition, training and psychology has evolved so much and is this making boxing more dangerous?

[MulaKO]

Forget about what we had witnessed in maxim dadashev vs subriel matias and other tragedies we had in our beloved sport, im talking about how advanced the younger generation of fighters are becoming. Look at what teofimo lopez did the other day to commey. The punches thud sounded like a baseball bat throughout the arena.Tank davis, Naoya Inoue and Virgil ortiz are other scarily heavyhanded young men and are not even in their primes yet. With how advanced boxing has become through science and technology are we now designing killers? Nutrition, training and psychology has evolved so much and is this making boxing more dangerous?

I recall witnessing Floyd fight live and the thing that impressed me the most was his speed and the sound of his punches
Now we all know he’s not the biggest puncher but that always stayed in my head
Beterbiev makes the whole arena shake
Kendall Holt left a memorable impression also

[dannnnn]

The prevalence of PEDs in sport is making boxing more dangerous than ever for sure. That's not to suggest that steroids are a new creation - only that their use is more widespread than ever before. At least one of the boxers OP mentioned is juiced to the gills, 100%.

[-Kev-]

I think it has to do a lot to do with weight classes. Bigger dudes fighting at a smaller weight class to have a power advantage. They are able to recover the majority of their walk around weight on fight night. If boxing starts restricting fight night weights, you’d probably see more boxers fight at a weight class that’s more natural to their weight class. As it stands right now, you got some fighters fighting at a fairly natural weight class, and others who are just fighting at that weight class to gain a power and size advantage, draining themselves for 8 weeks and trying to get that weight back on fight night.

[New England]

i don't think so. but the data from decades past is nowhere near complete and we can't really make a comparison. there are a number of steps that hav ebeen taken to keep guys from taking unnecessary punishment. first was the reduction of fihts from 15 to 12 rounds. next are a couple of rules for cornermen. you used to be able to scrape your guy off of the canvas, or literally carry him out of the corner when eh was out on his feet, when the round ended. then in the corner you could literally wake him up with smelling salts. ever used smelling salts? that sh#t f#cking works. both of those practices are banned now. if you can't walk back to your own corner the fight will get stopped. and if you're on the canvas you can't get saved by the bell and your corner cannot assist you off the ground andback into your corner.

additionally, refs in some countries, particularly europe, are known for very quick stoppages. "british stoppages" especially against foreign opponents, are usually unfair, but they save guys from a beating for sure.


now, are there elements of modern boxing that do contribute to guys shortening their careers or even dying in the ring.
1. bigger gloves let you take more of a beating. huh, NE? the ****? yep. it's not usually the one big shot that kills a boxer, it's the long, 8, 10, 12 round beating. usually guys who look badly shaken and "recover" enough to finish rounds and extend fights are the guys who die or who suffer head injuries.
2. weight cutting. two things happen here.
A: joey gamache effect. a guy ends up in the ring with a man who, on a same day weigh in, would be 2 + weight classes heavier. joey gamache never fought again after taking a hellish, 2 round beating aginst arturo gatti. gatti's punches literally lifted him off of his feet. i felt bad watching the guy on the canvas. felt like watching a fox hunt or something. a stacked deck at the expense of a dude's brain matter and life.
B: the jason litzau effect. a guy with an OK chin dries himself out to make a lower weight class so he will have dimensions, power, etc, but turns his chin into straight up mush. he's also depriving his body of fluids during training and the fight, which he needs for his organs like his liver and his kidneys to function properly and help him heal. short career and likely a whole lot of health problems in his 50's, 60's, and 70's if he gets there.

[jreckoning]

I think it has to do a lot to do with weight classes. Bigger dudes fighting at a smaller weight class to have a power advantage. They are able to recover the majority of their walk around weight on fight night. If boxing starts restricting fight night weights, you’d probably see more boxers fight at a weight class that’s more natural to their weight class. As it stands right now, you got some fighters fighting at a fairly natural weight class, and others who are just fighting at that weight class to gain a power and size advantage, draining themselves for 8 weeks and trying to get that weight back on fight night.

You would hope that. But people are going to try to drain like crazy still and think they can deal with the serious health problems of dehydration and such.

I think the 30 day weigh ins and 14 and 7 day weigh ins may help keep people on point but I don't know if it's feasible to do it all the time.

[Boxing Goat]

The answer is no and its obvious because of the glove criteria and less rounds. This should be obvious and you don't know because YDKSAB

[boliodogs]

It is less dangerous. The referees watch over the boxers like mother hens. When a boxer is knocked down he gets a long time to recover with all the walk to me test. Then when fighters are knocked down or sometimes just hurt the refs are stopping fights when the boxer could fight on and maybe recover to win the fight. The refs have become overly cautious for fear of a death or injury happening in a fight they refereed. Many fights are being stopped way too early. This makes boxing a safer but less exciting sport. The days of both fighters being knocked down many times in a give and take many knock down brawl like Lyle vs Foreman, Gatti vs Ward and Castillo vs Corralez are disappearing.

[The D3vil]

nutrition

In some ways it's more dangerous

The "nutrition" you're talking about, plus guys who are boiling themselves down to make weight classes they don't belong in.

It's less dangerous because of fewer rounds and refs who are more vigilant

[Armchairhero]

The prevalence of PEDs in sport is making boxing more dangerous than ever for sure. That's not to suggest that steroids are a new creation - only that their use is more widespread than ever before. At least one of the boxers OP mentioned is juiced to the gills, 100%.

Your kidding, they didn’t even test in the 70’s and 80’s... there’s no new drugs either, just the same old steroids with molecules tweaked to remain unknown.
The only real advances are EPO and IGF, growth is nothing new and was available totally undetectable from late 70,s