The death of a 23-year-old boxer has prompted a call by the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association for the sport to be banned in Australia. But before we decide whether this is the right response, we should consider what attracts people to participate in and watch high-risks spectacles such as boxing.
Braydon Smith died when his life support was turned off around two days after he collapsed. He had lost a ten-round fight 90 minutes earlier but had not been knocked out and appeared all right after the fight.
Not Uniquely Deadly
Boxing is not the only sport associated with fatal injuries. But we seem more tolerant of fatalities in other sports; you don’t see calls for their abolition when someone dies. The recent death of cricketer Phillip Hughes due to a traumatic brain injury led to calls for better helmets, for instance, but no one suggested banning the sport.
Similarly, the death of a young NSW rugby player, Jake Kedzlier, after being struck in the face by a player’s knee led to statements about having weight classes for leagues and it being a “freak accident“, as though injuries were not inherent in that contact sport.
After controlling for the number of participants in each sport, a 2012 study from Victoria found motor sports, fishing, equestrian activities and swimming all led to more deaths in a year than boxing, which didn’t even make it into the top ten. Another study found motor vehicle accidents and falls were far more likely to kill people than boxing or any other sport.
It may be that the seemingly inhumane aim of causing your opponent to lose consciousness by punching them separates boxing from other sports. And, for some reason, the relatively rare fatalities seem to get far more press than the insidious long-term effects of a career in boxing or other contact or combat sports.
If you’re evaluating the safety of a sport, you have to consider the whole gamut of potential injuries they cause, not just death. Major traumatic injuries, frequently to the head and face, are also much more common in motor sports, cycling, skiing, hockey and equestrian activities than in boxing.
Some sports put participants at risk of acute injuries that resolve with proper care (a fractured arm, for instance, or a simple single concussion), while others last for years or a lifetime (damaged knees, or moderate to severe brain injuries). And others still put the person at risk for degenerative illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which is what faces many boxers.
Some boxers who have suffered numerous blows to head or face that rattled their brain develop what’s called dementia pugilistica. This leads to serious problems with memory, attention, speech, balance and emotion regulation. It can cause premature death.
Responding Well
So why might someone become a professional boxer? Well, professional athletes earn some money, but they also get recognition and the satisfaction that comes from perfecting a physique and skills. And, of course, most people like winning.
