                        SHOULD BOXING BE BANNED?
                        ========================

          By Shan S. Kannon

                    In February 1995 a match was held in London,
          England for the Middleweight (160 lbs) WBC belt.  The fight
          was between Nigel Bent and Gerald McClellan.  Both fighters
          needed to have oxygen administered to them at the end of
          their bout.  However, it was found a short time later, when
          the doctor checked McClellan after the knockout he suffered,
          that he had a blood clot in his brain.  He needed to have
          emergency surgery in order to save his life.  He was in a
          coma for about one week.  It was at this time that the cry
          of the press and of the American Medical Association to ban 
          the sport again reared its ugly face. 
          
                    It is important to remember that both men knew
          the risks before they stepped into the ring.  This was a
          risk they chose to take.  This is true with many other
          sports as well.  It is especially true in the sport of
          rugby, in which several hundred people every year are
          maimed or killed while playing.  Yet, there are no great
          cries to ban rugby.  There are two important reasons for
          this.  The first is the fact that most of these injuries
          and deaths happen outside of the United States.  This is 
          important because of the lack of news coverage that the 
          sport receives.  As a result, there is less  awareness 
          and interest in the sport of rugby compared to the NFL,            
          the National Football League or baseball here in the 
          United States.  
          
                    Another important consideration is somewhat
          connected to these facts.  There are not the large amounts
          of money involved in the sport of rugby that there are in
          boxing.  A championship fight purse can contain millions of
          dollars.  Take, for example, Rock Newman, the manager of
          the former heavyweight champion of the world, Riddick Bowe.
          He is, at the time of this writing, in discussion with the
          former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson about a possible
          match worth an estimated $122 million dollars!  This is
          just one example, which is only one fight and is not even a
          major championship bout.  Over the course of just one year, 
          we are looking at a huge amounts of revenue that are 
          generated by the sport .
          
              It has been the AMA or as they are otherwise known
          as the American Medical Association, that has been the
          party wich has fueled the debate the most on the subject of
          banning boxing altogether.  On the surface, their reasons
          may appear to be the most honorable.  However, this
          certainly cannot be the case.  Many possible scenarios
          could come about if the AMA did in fact get their way and
          accomplish just two things. 
          
                    The first possible  scenario is the banning of
          the sport itself.  What would be the ramifications of this?
          It would make a perfectly legal and profitable sport that
          millions of people world - wide enjoy  become an illegal
          activity.  This would mean that the sport would be driven
          underground and be put into much the same condition it was
          in the 1850's.  The 1850's was at a time when many a fighter
          was being maimed or even killed in the ring.  This sport
          will not just pack up its bags and go away because a
          government passes a law  making the activity illegal.  
          This would have much the same effect as prohibition did on
          alcohol consumption.  Simply put, it will not work. 
          
                    The condition boxing was in, before the advent of
          the Marquess Of Queensberry rules bears little or no
          resemblance to the  sport today.  Boxing of the 1850's and
          before was fought without the benefit of three minute rounds,
          a ring, or even gloves.  At that time, boxing was done in the
          bare knuckle style.  The last champion of that era was the 
          great John L. Sullivan.  Even the name for the ring came from 
          these days when the spectators would gather in a circle, or a 
          " ring " to watch the fight take place.
          
                    In 1866 the Marquess of Queenbury rules were
          instituted and  set into place.  They have remained the
          same for most of the modern era of the game as we know it.
          These rules include requirements for the ring itself, which
          can be anywhere between 12  and up to 22 feet in diameter.
          They also require the use of gloves to help protect both of
          the athletes.  The use of the three minute round and rules
          against hitting certain areas of the body like below the
          belt and behind the opponent's head, became instituted.
          Using of judges and a scoring system were components of the
          Marquess of Queensberry rules.  These rules put a strong
          focus on safety for both fighters, as well as putting some
          much needed order into how the matches were to be run.  
          
                     Now, consider what state boxing would be in
          without the benefit of it being legal.  All the people
          involved with the sport would instantly become criminals,
          possibly even felons for the continued practice of their
          art.  This would include more than just the boxers.  It
          would encompass also the ringside judges, referees, cutmen,
          or anyone else that would want to participate.  There is
          also the very distinct possibility of it being run without
          the benefit  of the familiar rules.  All this being done to
           attract a paying crowd. 
          
                    What could be the saddest irony of all is the
          likely absence of a doctor or any kind of medical
          assistance at ringside since a doctor could lose his / her
          licence to practice medicine.  The AMA would greatly frown
          on this type of behavior from one of their own and may want
          to reprimand the individual.  The fact that medical
          assistance was available to Mr. McClellen in his last fight
          this past February in London, England is surely the major
          reason he is alive today.  In fact, the parties would not
          even be able to bring him to a hospital because of the way
          Mr. McClellen received his injuries.  
          
                    The last time a fighter was killed in the ring
          the AMA stated that the sport should be outlawed or banned.
           This was back in November, 1982.  A boxer from South Korea
          by the name of Duk Koo Kim was killed in a match with a
          then popular fighter known as Ray " Boom Boom " Mancini.
          The AMA, wrote not one but two editorials in their medical
          journal, The Journal of the American Medical Association.
          These were published in the issue dated 14 January 1983.
          It hardly seems like a fitting place for an editorial.
          This journal is dedicated to medical issues, and rightfully
          so.  They published  an editorial (Their "Objective" opinion)
          about the sport of boxing and appointing themselves as the
          perfect regulators for the sport and only they could save
          the sport from itself?  
          
                    This now brings us to the second most likely
          possibility which is that the AMA would become a so -
          called partner in safety working and receiving their cut of
          all the various purses for the matches held.  They are
          known by many names and have thus gotten the nickname of
          "Alphabet Soup" attached to them.  A few of these governing
          bodies since they are called are the WBC, WBO, WBA, NABC,
          NABF and the IBF.  There are many more often small and are
          not respected in the boxing world.  The fact that an
          organization like the AMA would want to tarnish its own
          image for the love of money is regrettable.  The AMA has a
          respectable reputation in the eyes of the general public. 
          Can anyone really imagine an announcer for a fight saying 
          something like this:
          
                    "...And now the big fight you all have been
          waiting for, the WBA and American Medical Association
          heavyweight championship of the world! "
          
                    Can anybody imagine a ring announcer like Micheal
          Buffer saying something like this right after announcing
          "Lets get ready to rumble! "  To add to this, everytime
          there is a scandal in the boxing world (Like that never
          happens, right?) the AMA would  take it on the chin so to
          speak and would wind up having to play "Spin doctor" with
          these types of events and their integrity.  After all,
          they're a medical organization that is more interested in
          the health of the American public at large, right?
          
                    There are other possibilities as well.  Imagine
          all the new rules and regulations that could and would come
          about with having only the types of doctors that the AMA
          would require to be working at ringside and all the
          possible kickbacks that could be involved between the AMA
          and the various alphabet soups out there in the boxing
          world.  There is the possibility of the integrity of the
          medical professional being dragged down through the mud of
          these same boxing organizations.  Why?  For the reason that
          the doctor could not work independent of the AMA or the
          given governing body.  Since the two would be intertwined,
          it creates all kinds of obvious problems for everyone
          involved.
          
                     The ideal situation for the boxing world to fall
          into would be a single governing body and the institution
          of a league format for the fighters of all the various
          weight classes.  The weight classes should be cut back to
          eight, but no more than ten and this would enhance the
          reputation and credibility of sport in the eyes of public.
          
                    A league format would again be ideal because it
          takes the power of the big payday away from the promoters
          and, to some extent, the managers and put it where it
          belongs: in the hands of the governing body who is subject
          to the same rules because they are all part the bigger
          whole.  The boxing league itself should govern everyone's
          actions by the rule of its own agreed upon laws.  
          Only in a system like this, or one similar to it, could
          boxing regain much of its lost respectability and
          credibility in not only the eyes of the boxing public, but
          the public at large. 
          
                    However, reality dictates this will never happen.
           Fighters are lured away to fight with an inferior quality
          boxer for the big, easy payday.  For both the fighters in
          question, it comes down to the established boxer taking a
          bout like this one for the money and the lessor one for the
          chance at a huge purse.  If by chance, he is able to beat
          the ranked, known fighter, he is able to become a household
          name ( and a very wealthy man ) overnight.
          
                    The problem with the current state of the boxing
          world is the politics of the game itself.  Ranked, or belt 
          holding (champion) boxers have been known to " duck "  or 
          avoid having a match with another worthy opponent.  This is 
          done at times to avoid losing  ranking in one of the many
          alphabet soups of governing bodies.  This becomes true to a
          fault in the case of fighters who are ranked in the top ten
          in the world.  This is an elite class of athlete; they are
          the creme that rises to the top. 
          
                    The simple fact that there are so many governing
          bodies in the world of professional boxing does lend itself
          to having at least one very good aspect to it.  The press
          coverage tends to be as brutally honest as the game itself.
           A boxer is in the ring all by himself, toe to toe with his
          adversary.  If he suffers a knockout at the hands of  his
          opponent, he absolutely has no one to blame for the loss
          but himself.  In this way, as having few grey areas.
          Either the fighter won or he lost.  Draws in this sport are
          not as common as in other sports.  Because of the nature of
          the sport itself, it is viewed by many around the world as
          being the purest of any sport.
          
                    The simple fact that there are so many governing
          bodies in the world of boxing is one of the reasons that
          the press coverage tends to be so good.  One of the
          drawbacks of boxing being in a league format is that the
          press coverage would suffer.  Why?  This would be "The only
          game in town " and reporters would not want to ask the
          tough questions of a promoter, manager, or a fighter without
          the fear of reprisal and thus cut out of the  informational
          gathering loop.  The reporter has at his or her disposal all 
          of the other alphabet soups out there to gather their much 
          needed information.  The same is true for the promoter, manager, 
          or fighter who is also dealing with all these different 
          organizations.  It has a way of leveling the playing field in 
          a substantial way. 
          
                    The sport of boxing has been with us though the
          centuries, to our pleasure and disdain.  There are records
          of it's existence going as far back to the Olympic games
          in the Illiad, over 2,000 years ago.  It is a sport that
          brings to us some the most highly trained, well conditioned
          athletes to be found anywhere and at any time.  Few sports,
          demand the mental and physical toughness and discipline
          that is required to become proficient at it.  This is 
          the essence in the fine art of manly self  - defense that
          is called boxing.
          
          
                               By Shan S. Kannon
                               =================
          
          
                    *  Another text brought to you by The Event
          Horizon BBS located in Bethel, CT.  Telephone is 
          (203) 748 - 5232

                               = 12 March 1995 =
