Boxing is a sport with history dating back many centuries ago. Right back to the days of bare-knuckle boxing and barnyard fights. Boxing can be defined as a sport that is merely a legalised way of beating-up another person. It is a male dominated sport, and some people think it should be banned from the 21st century. These people believe that boxing is too dangerous and too violent to be shown on television, or even viewed by anyone. A further point they add is that a lot of people who are influenced in the boxing world end up with their lives wrecked by money scams, violent behavior and their health is put in great danger.
Others argue it is an exciting, full-on-contact sport, which is more realistic than wrestling, and therefore makes it a better sport. The people who are attracted to the sport love watching it because of its competitiveness and excitement. Others are attracted because of the appeal of money, fame, glory of winners, and sadness of losers; which comes with the sport. Big title fights attract big crowds who want to see 12 rounds of fast, hard-hitting action. Viewers want to see someone get knocked-out and they want to see a victorious champion.
However, some argue that the boxing fans do not realise that many boxers have histories of being young, aggressive juveniles, who got themselves reputations of being accomplished street fighters. They then were noticed by local professional talent scouts, who brought these juveniles into a world where the golden rule is that – the harder you throw the punches; the further you get in the way of a career. These young boxers are conned into believing that the more aggressive they are in the ring, the more respect they will gain in the boxing community. They are also conned into a sense of belonging within this community. When really they are being exploited in all ways imaginable by their managers and fight promoters. Many non-supporters think this is a primary reason why boxing should be banned from the 21st century.
Another major argument put against boxing is that once a boxer reaches the age of 18; a manager can take a 25% cut of the takings of a match. This is a big sum of money when you take into consideration that it is the boxer who is knocking the years of his life with each fight, not the manager. But managers claim that this cut is only right considering the required dedication that goes into training a boxer. But non-supporters say this is another harsh reality in boxing. It is the boxers who put their lives in danger every time they step inside the ring and not the manager. In fact with every fight a boxer can be knocking years off his life without realising it.
Boxers are the means by which managers make their money. What boxers don’t realise is the crushing risk of what other boxers punches can do to them. Brain damage and blood clots often lead to death. It may not be their own fault for again managers/fight promoters often lead young boxers into a false sense of security and allow them to believe they are not going to be hurt in fights. Managers often emphasize the glory and money involved but not the more important health risks. A prime example of a boxing promoter/ fight arranger who scams money from boxers is Don King. He is responsible from taking large cuts of money from Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
People who believe that boxing should be banned are aware of the dangers of professional and amateur boxing. Professionals can punch hard, and both the speed at which the punch travels and the weight behind it can certainly cause extensive damage if aimed anywhere near the head. It is hard to imagine the force and pain that a punch like that can cause. An example of a boxer who died not weeks after being knocked out in a fight is Johnny Owen, the Matchstick Man. He died in November 1980, after being knocked out by Lupe Pintor when fighting for the World Bantamweight title in Los Angeles. Another example is the most famous (greatest) boxer ever in the world Muhammad Ali, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease after taking a lot of blows to the head during his boxing career. But the list doesn’t end at this, there are many more boxers whose lives are ultimately devastated or lost as a result of boxing.