The Debate Over Banning The Boxing Sport

Boxing is a sport that consists of two people in a stadium or a ring to fight one another using protective gloves. The point of this sport is to knock the other competitor out from the fight. It is said to be one of the dangerous sports because there have been many deaths of the boxer. There has been a lot of reports of boxing that includes killing while trying to knock out the opponent in the ring. Many people suggested that boxing should be banned because of many deaths involved with the sport itself. People also thought that by banning the boxing sport can reduce the number of deaths.

The history of boxing (Wood, 2015) “Pre 1500 BC: evidence of boxing as a popular sport has been found in ancient Greece, Asia Minor, and Italy. 1500 BC: Boxing gloves are invented, as depicted in Minos in a fresco. 688 BC: Boxing is introduced to the Ancient Olympics; combatants sit on rocks, facing each other, and fight until one of them is killed. Leather straps were used to protect the hands. 1681: Boxing first reappears in the West, with the first documented 'boxing match' took place in Britain when the Duke of Albemarle engineered a bout between his butler and his butcher, which was won by the butcher. ”Whilst there has been a lot of cons, there are also positive sides to boxing, including the health of the boxer itself in some matches. And boxing itself has evolved over time, where rules have also been adjusted and improved to protect the players and hence, minimize the risk of severe injuries and deaths on the ring. Modern boxing rules were based to its roots of The Queensberry Code of Rules which were established in 1867. These rules were written to maintain this martial art from turning dangerous and risky. Nowadays, boxing has also been considered as one type of martial art practices which then been introduced widely as part of fitness and gymnastic regimes. Now there are different types of boxing being introduced such as Muay Thai, which has become a famous martial art exercise, preferred by men and women globally, including in Indonesia.

The first question people often state is that boxing is a dangerous sport as it results in many injuries and deaths. There have been cases where a boxer gained some injuries after the tournament or competition. The injuries were bad, one of them was brain damage that can be caused by a severe punch in the face and head. This unfortunate incident has been experienced by a famous boxer named Muhammad Ali. Following injuries, there have been countless deaths that have been caused because of fighting in the arena and get killed in the end. There have been about 488 deaths that have been counted in the last 60 years. (daniebarra, 2015) “It may be safe for many people but there are people who come in with a loose nerve or blood vessel that can be severely injured if they are unaware of their condition. 488 people could have lived for years at least without this sport because of the lack of physical punishment they would receive per match. Once more, the goal is not to knock someone out, but those who are considered great were not the light-hearted hitters. They were people who made the opponent incapable of fighting. People who strive to reach the professional level cannot be the best unless they work hard to incapacitate the people they go up against. That is not a healthy goal to try and reach. ”First of all, boxing is good for you, because of the training regimes that the boxers need to keep up to make them keep fit and look muscular for the looks in the matches or competition.

When being practiced well, boxing is a good exercise for you, as it builds a healthy and fit body. It is also been observed that those who train boxing will develop very good motor skills, reflexes, and reaction in all daily physical activities. (MCCOY, n. d. ) “Training in boxing can transform your body. Several elements of a standard boxing workout, including running, jumping rope, hitting the heavy bag and sparring, can help you burn hundreds of calories in a short duration. These activities can help you lose weight or avoid weight gain. Boxing also strengthens the muscles throughout your body and improves your cardiovascular fitness. The improved endurance and stronger muscles you build translate effectively into life outside the ring, giving you the ability to perform everyday movements with energy and a decreased risk of injury. ” Another negative view saying that boxing can promote violence, which means that people get the idea from boxing and practice it in real life to fight their opponents. From boxing people get the idea that fighters actively choose to harm another human being, hence in real life, it is also allowed to attack other people, whom you consider as your enemies. A good example of this would be Mike Tyson, a former famous boxer, where his harsh attitude has been shaped through boxing matches, that led him well to the path of violence outside the ring. Tyson has been known to try his hardest to knock out his opponents. Boxing matches make people feeling less safe in their everyday life, knowing that there are people who understand how to cause serious injuries and harms to other people.

And I'll give you another name,' Turner continues. 'If all fights were fought in the street, Chuck Wepner might have wound up as champion. Wepner is a big, mean, rough tough guy who would do anything in a street fight. No, I take that back. There's one thing Chuck Wepner would never do in a street fight. He'd never give up. 'Despite it being used as violence, nowadays boxing can be classified as a martial art that can teach you self-defense when facing danger. A lot of people joined boxing for self-defense rather than for fighting. Boxing uses head movements, footwork, and punches to form a very efficient striking system. Therefore, it is considered one of the most effective methods for self-defense, suitable for any gender, age, and body shape. “One of the problems is that computer games have become the predominant outlet for young people's natural aggression. However, computer games and films fail to teach young people one absolutely crucial thing - that actions have consequences; you can't just retry and come back to life. While boxing teaches risk, that actions do have consequences. That if you don't move quick enough, you don't just 'lose a life', you can actually get hit. it also engages with young people on their own terms and recognizes that frustration and aggression that is so often the hallmark of teenage years.

And, crucially, boxing gives young people who may be bad at everything else they've tried a sense of worth and self-esteem. They no longer feel that they have to pick fights, but can walk away. ” (Morris, 2018) “Boxing is a martial art. It teaches discipline. It helps to gain confidence, requires hard work and dedication. Boxing isn't just for people trying to become a pro fighter, people do it for fitness, for self-confidence and to protect themselves on the street. All the same, reasons people join karate or jiu-jitsu schools. Boxing helps you develop your strength, stamina, coordination, flexibility, self-esteem, self-control and is great for mental health too. ”Even if it is considered as a “sport”, many still have the belief that boxing is probably the toughest, one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. It is a great way to workout, get lean, and to learn self-defense skills. The average person has no idea how challenging it is to box three minutes non-stop at a brisk pace. Even simply hitting the bag for a few rounds will result if fatigue very fast. Not to mention the thought of being punched by an opponent while struggling with that fatigue can be intimidating. It always looks easier when you are on the outside looking in. So boxing is all about physical training and endurance, it doesn’t bring in any emotional benefit. Boxing is not for everyone, it only suits for fighters.

First of all, as has been mentioned earlier that boxing practice is not limiting gender, age and body conditions. As a matter of fact, nowadays everybody can practice boxing as it is proven to be an effective stress reliever. People can relieve stress and anger by punching on a punching bag. People said that hitting a punching bag produces a response in your body that helps to relieve tension. One can try to picture the punching bag or pillow as representative of your stress or an unfavorable situation or a person who is a source of your anger. Punching at the bag allows you to express anger in a healthier way than asking for a physical fight with the real person. Stress can make people sick and it cannot be hindered because people are facing the causes of stress every day, from work, from annoying friends, from cranky children, from a tough supervisor, and so on.

As former boxing heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis once said, “boxing is just like chess. ” Boxing sharpens your mind by promoting a strategic approach to offense and defense. The training involved in boxing is also designed to toughen you up both mentally and physically to prepare you for times when things don’t go your way. (MCCOY, n. d. ) “Beyond the many physical benefits of boxing, it's impossible to discount the emotional perks of this form of exercise. As with many forms of exercise, practicing boxing can quickly help you forget about the day's stresses and help clear your mind. As you build your body, you can experience heightened self-esteem and a higher level of confidence. For example, if you travel alone at night on the subway, being adept at boxing can make you feel less nervous. ” And that includes the things that are in the pros of boxing. There has been a misconception around boxing, just because it involves “fighting” against an opponent and the winner is determined by his ability to knock the opponent down during the fight.

As a result, boxing is being judged to result in high risks of permanent injuries and even death in the end. To argue this statement, boxing has its risks, but the risks are perhaps comparable to other activities and sports. And the reason that boxing is just a sport is that boxing was supposed to knock the opponent out of the ring rather than killing them. But some of the boxers would just use full force to fight them and that could kill them rather than knocking them out. So my conclusion is that boxing is a sport that can make people learn about self-defense, boost your confidence and a lot of others that we can learn about boxing. What I learn also is that boxing can make you feel healthy by becoming fit and learn about things that we need about sports. I can also become healthy after all of the training that I did as a boxer even though I can get healthy by doing other sports also.