Alvarado 1

What do most people think of when they hear the word boxing? Some people
think it is too violent. Maybe some people think about the boxers who have died, or that
it kills you at an early age. What do you see? Blood, injuries, bruises, broken bones,
teeth flying out of a jaw. Would you want your kids or loved ones in the ring? Most
parents would say no because they think its too violent and may lead to death. Also,
concussions and brain damage do happen in boxing.

If boxing is so bad, why has it

been around since the Ancient Greeks and maybe even before? There are actually a
lot of successful boxers out there with no head injuries and that are doing fine. The
youngest boxer to win a title was Wilfred Benitez and he is now 57 but is suffering from
a brain condition. Boxing does not have to lead to these things. With the proper safety
and following rules and regulations, you can have a boxing career with little to no
problems. Boxing has evolved into a sophisticated sport that requires knowledge of
many elements to be successful.
Boxing has been around since the dawn of man, but a lot has changed since it
originated. The earliest evidence suggests that boxing was prevalent in North Africa
during 4000 bc and the mediterranean in 1500 B.C. (Espn.com.) Most of the earliest
boxing recorded was the lower class was put to fight, either for entertainment or as a job
they had to do. In Greece, it was for entertainment, and often would fight to the death.
A Greek ruler named Theseus, who ruled around 900 B.C.,was entertained by men
who would be seated in front of each other and beat another with their fists until one of
them was killed. In time, the fighters fought on their feet and wore gloves and wrappings
Alvarado 2

on their arms below the elbows, but were otherwise naked when competing. In ancient
Roman times, most fighters were trying to gain freedom because they were slaves or
criminals. (Espn.com.) Of course, when these lower class slaves were fighting, there
were no rules about the game or safety. Early bare-knuckle fighting was crude with no
written rules. There were no weight divisions, round limits and no referee. Modern rules
banning gouging, grappling, biting, headbutting, fish-hooking and blows below the belt
were absent. (Espn.com. )
The first boxing rules were introduced by heavyweight Jack Broughton in 1743
to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under these rules, if a
man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over.
Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited. Broughton also
invented mufflers, which were used in training and exhibitions. Espn.com. In 1839,
rules were introduced into the London Prize ring: Espn.com. Fights happened in a 24foot-square ring surrounded by ropes. The fighter had 30 seconds to get up if he was
knocked down. Biting, headbutting, and hitting below the belt were declared fouls.
Espn.com. In 1867, 12 rules were published for boxing in the Olympics, and they
changed the safety and fairness of the sport.

Espn.com. "Origins of Boxing." Some

of the rules were about time, and others about gloves and safety equipment. Mostly,
they were trying to guarantee a fair match.

Espn.com. Luckily, today there are lots of

rules and regulations, and the safety of the boxer is important.

Alvarado 3
In order to become a boxer, there are many rules to follow and certain procedures that
have to be followed. Especially to be in a match, you have to do weigh ins and things

like that. Weight is an important factor in boxing, the boxers must weigh in on approved
scales at certain times before the fight. If the boxer fails the weigh in they have 2 hours
to make the prescribed weight in the presence of a supervisor.
www.worldboxingfederation.net If the WBF champion makes the weight and the
challenger fails to do so, the wbf champion shall retain the title, regardless of the result
of the contest. If both the wbf champion and the challenger fail to make weight, the
championship shall not be vacated at the scales and the contest will go forward as a
non-title contest and the wbf champion shall regain the title, regardless of result of the
contest. www.worldboxingfederation.net Although weigh ins are important, most of the
action happens in the ring. For that reason, there are rules in the ring that must be
followed. Each round shall consist of a three (3)-minute (Females:two (2)-minute
duration, with a one minute rest period between rounds. The referee is the only one
that can determine if a knockdown has happened. Also, they are the ones to count to
eight to see if the opponent will get back into the fight. Therefore the referee is actually
an important person in the ring that is overlooked sometimes, but they actually have a
lot of responsibility. The referee is really important because they have all of power in
the ring and outside the ring, will examine the bandages and gloves of both boxer.
There are three judges to score point they cant have to even score so the judges have
to make an effort to pick a winner on that round. The referee also calls if it is a knockout
Alvarado 4
or not and there are several ways to decide if it's a knockout. A boxer is considered
knocked out when any part of their body other than their feet are still on the canvas, or if
they are hanging helplessly over the ropes, or if they are still rising from the down

position and not standing upright. www.worldboxingfederation.net In fact, there is even

a timekeeper outside the ring to help determine if its a knockout. There are
recommendations to have two timekeepers. When a boxer is down, the knockdown
timekeeper shall immediately start counting the elapsed seconds in a loud, clear voice.
www.worldboxingfederation.net
Other than a knockout, there are additional ways to lose a fight. The referee will
determine if the boxer is disqualified or injured to the point of losing. If a boxer sustains
an injury from a fair blow and the injury is severe enough to terminate the contest , the
injured boxer shall lose by technical knockout (TKO). If an intentional foul causes an
injury, and the injury is severe enough to terminate the contest immediately, the boxer
causing the injury shall lose by disqualification (DQ). www.worldboxingfederation.net
Before they come into the ring, the referee has to check on the regulations of the yarn
or tape. In all weight divisions hand bandages shall be restricted to twelve yards of soft
gauze bandage per hand, not more than two inches in width in place by not more than
eight feet of adhesive tape of one-and-a-half inches of width.
www.worldboxingfederation.net Overall, there are rules in every sport that the player
must follow or they cannot compete fairly in the competitions. So, if a boxer
understands these rules and procedures, they have a fair shot at competing and if not,
Alvarado 5
they cannot fight. Once they are ready and understand the rules, they can learn all
about the techniques.
There are many techniques boxers use, and some may have their own special
one only they know about. There are a few that are used that are accepted as boxing

techniques. One technique used by pro boxers is staying heavy. This means they are
very balanced and can use their weight to their advantage. ( Nguyens, Johnny) One of
the ways they stay heavy is theyre very relaxed at that weight and comfortably on the
ground.they don't move around or fidget around so much like the amateurs. They
hardly take their feet off the ground. Its not about being low to the ground but not lifting
your feet off the ground. (Nguyens, Johnny) One boxer talks about fighting someone
that is good at staying heavy, They had a very powerful core, its doesnt matter if
theyre in-shape and ripped or out of shape and fat they always feel like youre pushing
a guy that made of brick on the inside. Nguyens, Johnny Being heavy allows the pros
to stand their ground very comfortably.
A different techniques used by pro boxers is endless angles. The boxer can
always find angles to hurt you even when you think you're totally covered. You feel like
his punches can squeeze through the tiniest of holes and hit your chest, your chin, your
solar plexus, kidney, anywhere. (Nguyens, Johnny) Another technique used is called
Game -stopping jab. This move is all about precise timing with your jab. Sometimes
they throw it with a fast snap to surprise you. also, sometimes they add power to pop
you with a counter jab right when you punch. Other times, they throw is as a lightnin
Alvarado 6
fast touch to distract you before you can even think of throwing a punch.
Nguyens, Johnny Make you miss wide is a techniques that involves a lot of skill and
patience. This method makes the boxer aim at the wrong place because the opponent
has slipped out of getting punched several times. To get good at this you need to do a
lot of sparring. Body shots are a great technique to get a good jab in, and the opponent

has a hard time seeing them. However, they are hard to score because the boxer can
hide them easily. Body shots can slow an opponent down, but they may take some
time to really affect the opponent. Nguyens, Johnny. One technique that is called
deceptive distance control is not easy for the opponent because they cannot feel then
come or moving. Imagine a guy whose footwork was so perfectly non-telegraphic that
you couldnt feel him moving in and out on you. Sometimes you think your opponent is
so far that they will not hit you. well they will hit at so point that you not see that coming.
Nguyens, Johnny. pros have great lead hands so another technique is called right lead
hand. Its not the most powerful knockout punch in the world but ist a nice surprisingly
quick shot with just enough pop to stop you in your tracks. ( Nguyens, Johnny The trick
to the success of this right hand seems very much to be the result of two thing the body
position and the punching technique. Pros us a wider variety of relaxed free-flow body
positions. Theyre able to punch and defend from every position so theyre not always
forced to rigidly spring back into the basic stance. Because of their skill, they have more
freedom to square up their shoulders or lean in at times which brings their right hand
closer. Nguyens, Johnny Walking Around keeps the boxers feet grounded, energy
Alvarado 7
conserved, and the fight relaxed. Its common to see pros touching their opponents
head and shoulders. Touching an opponents shoulders can force him to fire a curved
punch instead of a straight punch, which is then easily avoided by leaning back.
Nguyens, Johnny. This technique is just known as touch. On the inside, pros also like
to touch an opponents head or shoulders to use that as a lever to push him or spin him

away. (Nguyens, Johnny)

Of course, all of these techniques do no good without the

proper equipment.
There is no way a boxer could practice any techniques or even practice the sport
without this equipment. In boxing, you use your hands a lot and gloves will protect from
injury and help the punch. Since there are different types of bags in boxing, the
participant actually needs two sets of gloves. If you are serious about boxing, you will
need two pairs of boxing gloves. One is a light pair of bag gloves of 10 oz or less that
you will use to hit the speed bag and the heavy bag. However, when you get in the ring
to spar or box with an opponent, you need full-size gloves cushion the hand during the
punching process and will often keep you from getting injured. If you throw a solid
punch at an awkward angle you can could damage your fist. Thats why the cushioning
of the boxing glove is needed. Hand wraps, to be worn underneath the gloves for
support, are also essential for protection. Silverman, Steve Most people dont think of
the ring as equipment, but it is where all the action happens. In order for you to truly
learn your sport you need a ring with an opponent. The standard ring is 24 feet by 24
feet. Silverman, Steve
Alvarado 8
The speed bag is one of the oldest boxing tools and it helps a boxer learn how
to throw punches with speed, accuracy and agility. To learn how to throw punches at
angles that can hurt your opponent, use a speed bag to hone your skills. Hitting the
speed bag also helps your endurance and quickness. Silverman, Steve Most people
think a heavy bag is just throwing a power punch, it is not. The heavy bag is different
than a speed bag because it is bigger and teaches body punches but the speed bag is

more for practicing speed and accuracy. Power punches are not the result of being able
to lift heavy weight and having a strong chest and arms. Power punches are thrown with
your entire body. You want to use your lower body,core muscles and upper body to
throw power punches, and the heavy bag will help you. Silverman, Steve Another
piece of equipment that is needed is a mouth guard. All fighters use mouth guards,
which protect the mouth and teeth from hard punches and help prevent mouth
lacerations and broken teeth. Equally important to the mouthguard is the the protective
supporter and cup because they prevent injuries to the reproductive organs. Lastly,
shoes are a part of boxing that may get overlooked sometimes. The boxing shoes
help fighters move smoothly in the ring without turning or injuring their ankles.
Silverman, Steve
While there is equipment and safety measures in place, boxing can still be
dangerous. There are three types of neurological damage that can happen in the brain
to boxers. MOTOR-In some boxers, slightly slurred speech in one of the earliest signs
of brain damage. other common impairment to bodys motor systems include a lack of
Alvarado 9
coordination, slow movements, a weakened voice, rigidity, poor coordination, poor
balance and tremors. (Clancy, Frank) COGNITIVE: In neurological tests, afflicted
boxers often exhibit poor concentration, memory deficits and slowed mental speed. As
the disease process advances, the boxer may exhibit dementia exemplified by
amnesia , profound attentional deficit, prominent slowness of thought, and impaired
judgment, reasoning, and planning. (Clancy, Frank) BEHAVIORAL: Chronic brain

damage can also affect behavior. Common signs include irritability, a lack of insight,
paranoia and violent outbursts. (Clancy, Frank)
Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with parkinsons 3 years after his retirement, and
while there is no way to know if boxing caused it, science does know boxing damages
the brain. Some of the brain damage that can occur with boxing is chronic traumatic
brain injury, dementia, and parkinsonism. (Clancy, Frank) A lot of boxers report
symptoms of Alzheimer's. In the 1969 british found that one in six boxers that retired
professional have brain damage symptoms began at appear in 16 year after a fighters
career.those who fought longer will be in greater risk with happens when they go past
the age of 28 year or more also by getting knockout. (Clancy, Frank) The conundrum
with boxing is the main goal of the sport is to knock your opponent out which will cause
brain damage on some level. Some possibilities of what is going on in the brain are,
tugging and stretching of nerve filaments, repeated blows causing tiny hemorrhages,
and changing the chemistry of the brain which causes central nervous system damage.
(Clancy, Frank) There are rules and regulations being put into place for more medical
Alvarado 10
testing of the boxers so they can try and detect early damage. However, there is no
guarantee the boxer will stop fighting.
Boxing has been around for so long, it is doubtful it will ever go away. Hopefully,
boxers will take safety measures and use the correct equipment when boxing to stay
safe and not get too hurt. Brain damage is a real side effect, and society and medical
teams are working to make boxing safer. It is still a risk though to box, and it is good to
be aware. If a person would like to go pro or be a good boxer, they should learn the

rules and as many techniques as they can. Boxing has evolved from the brute and
super violent sport it used to be, so I believe it will continue to evolve into something
even greater.