Should Boxing Be Illegal?

The Future of Boxing Remember when sports were another form of safe recreation and a pleasant pastime? That has not necessarily been the case since boxing has taken over popular culture. At first glance, boxing can easily be seen as violent and even inhumane. Benny Paret’s death illustrates a fatal boxing match in which he was fighting against Emile Griffith. Suffering from a massive hemorrhage to the brain, Paret went into a coma and died 10 days after the fight (Cousins). This was not the first, and definitely not the last, unfortunate incident in the ring. This kind of sport should not exist in the 21st century, for it encourages violence and harm to others. Throughout the history of boxing, there have been many changes to rules to make boxing safer. Boxers now have referees allowed in the ring, 12 rounds instead of 15, and trained paramedics (Loosemore). These are undoubtedly improvements for the boxers’ health and safety, but the sport is still not as safe as it can be. Taekwondo is a much safer martial art that everyone should do as an alternative. When sparring, competitors are required to wear much more protection, such as headgear, padded guards over the shins, feet, mouth, and arms. The guards are light enough for the athlete to move, but strong enough to protect him from serious injuries. Bruising is the most common injury, and so taekwondoists suffer much less severe injuries than those of boxers. Taekwondo athletes take much more precaution for their safety than boxers do. Some may argue that boxing is the purest form of sport, for it tests the human body’s strength and reactions. If boxing were to be banned, the sport would go underground and be more dangerous, for it will lack the necessary referees, medics, and precautions. On the other hand, this “sport” is still violent with all these measures. It is also important to consider the purpose of boxing: to harm the opponent, and knock him out if necessary. The spectators cheer when a person

Cited: Cousins, Norman. "Who Killed Benny Paret?." . The Saturday Review, 5 1962. Web. 19 Nov 2012. Loosemore, Mike. "Amateur boxing and risk of chronic traumatic brain injury: systematic review of observational studies." BMJ. N.p., 4 2007. Web. 19 Nov 2012. Schultz, Stephen. "Is Ultimate Fighting Safer Than Boxing?."Yahoo! Voices. N.p., 11 2006. Web. 19 Nov 2012.