History was made over the weekend when the first sanctioned, professional bare-knuckle boxing matches in the United States in 130 years were held in Wyoming.
The event drew 2,000 fans and was possible since the state officially legalized the sport back in March. It is possible that this leads more states to follow suit and legalize the once-popular American sport, especially because it may be a safer alternative to boxing.
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The idea of bare-knuckle boxing being illegal in 2018 is backwards. After all, every state had legalized mixed martial arts by 2016, which involves strikes from knees and elbows which aren’t padded with gloves. Plus, the fingerless gloves that MMA fighters wear are smaller and lighter than boxing gloves, meaning that the hand is less protected.
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That precedent alone should give bare-knuckle boxing the right to be legal, as should the fact that it is two adults consenting to the task. However, what gets lost in it all is that, although bloody, the old-fashioned sport appears to have less long-term health risks than traditional boxing.
The reason why boxers wear gloves is to protect their hands so that they don’t break them when throwing punches. This was the initial purpose for gloves late in the 19th century back when boxing was more of a hobby and people needed their hands for blue collar work, according to ESPN’s Nigel Collins. However, this also incentivizes them to throw harder punches and go for more headshots, which puts fighters at a higher risk for irreparable brain damage. One Washington State University study found that people could generate 27.9 percent more movement when punching a heavy bag with boxing gloves than with their bare first.
That said, bare-knuckle boxers have to be more careful with their blows. As Mike Vazquez, the president of BackYard Brawls, told Complex in 2015, there are less punches to the head in his sport. This certainly lowers the risk of brain damage, as do the softer punches.
Last month, Canadian bare-knuckle boxer star Bobby Gunn also noted the slower pace and fewer overall punches thrown. He told Boxing Scene that if regular boxing is checkers, then bare-knuckle boxing is chess because fighters are more methodical and cautious in the ring.
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Out of either possibility, which of the two is more appealing? Someone throwing a punch, breaking their hand, and losing a quick fight; or a 15-round boxing match where no damage is done to the hands but long-term brain damage occurs? A broken hand can be fixed in about a month but civilization has yet to reach the point where brain tissue can be regrown.
With the rise of the UFC, pro boxing is already on the decline. For people who like boxing, though, an alternative form of it could help save their sport. The UFC’s rise into a multibillion-dollar business in the past 25 years shows there is a market for combat sports in the United States and how quickly people are willing to embrace something new – especially if it is similar to something they enjoyed prior.
If fans could watch a form of boxing and not worry about their favorite stars developing CTE later in life, then maybe the sport could flourish once again. There’s only one way for states to find out for certain: by legalizing it and sanctioning events.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelancer writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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