Boxings Health and Safety, Sad News Today

Sad news in boxing. Michael Norgove has died following collapsing in the ring with bleeding to the brain. Norgove was originally from Africa and was a sparring partner for Britains Olympic gold medalist James deGale.

Is it time to start looking at ways to make boxing safer? Perhaps ALL boxers should be made to wear head protection that would rule out the possibility of being killed by a blow to the head. In the Olympics head protectors are mandatory so maybe this should be incorporated into all aspects of boxing.

Winchester - they are removing head gear from the amatuers because it makes it worse.

Very sad news but wearing head guards in the pros is daft. When I spoke to Kieran Farrell a few weeks ago he said his drastic weight loss/gain had causes the protective layer around his brain to shrink. Have to wonder if its something similar.

ShahenshahG wrote:Winchester - they are removing head gear from the amatuers because it makes it worse.

This makes no sense to me

1 it gives a bigger target - more hits to the head
2 the brain shuts down when the punishment becomes too much which causes a knockout - with the head gear you still getting hit with a slight difference in power but taking more of them
3- obscures vision so the brain and the body cant prepare to mitigate the damage from the punches.

It does nothing but prevent cuts. Weight Draining and dehydration are the two killers in boxing.

Better monitoring of boxers making weight is essential as stated above with the Farrell case.

azania wrote:Better monitoring of boxers making weight is essential as stated above with the Farrell case.

Bang on, the weight draining is the biggest problem. I watched something on Youtube the other day similar to 24/7 but following Donaire in the build up to the Vasquez Jr fight and he said that after fighting Navarez he was peeing blood and that's why he moved up in weight, not exactly a challenging fight for him either that one.

Peeing blood......never a good thing

Boxtthis wrote:Peeing blood......never a good thing

That happened to Watson after the Benn, McCallum and Eubank 1 fights.

When the Mosley mallinaggi fight was proposed. I read that it was the worse possible fight for Mosleys health. As in mallinaggi wouldn't have the power to ko Mosley, but would have the skill to rattle his brain for 12 rounds. It does seem counter intuitive that a feather fisted puncher can do more long term damage. But it gives you the rationale on why headgear might not be the the answer to a safer sport.
Got to also respect mallinaggi for not taking a fight with a 40 year old Mosley who has shown nothing since his fight with margerito.

Im afraid I dont believe the use of protective headwear in boxing is more dangerous than without it.

Amateurs can fight on a regular basis because they fight less rounds and are better protected. It is the competition without any protective head wear and longer lasting fights that are more dangerous.

Safety should be paramount so I think new ways to make the sport safer should be looked at. Better protective headwear, more padded gloves, ensuring athletes are properly hydrated.

The only point of yours that is correct is the last one. Thats the major issue at the moment, there's a reason they're taking head guards away from the amateur side and its been pointed out above. Not sure you can really just ignore that.

All these suggestions are admirable about monitoring..

But where are you going to find the money to do it...

The BBBc haven't got much money.......

Let's just feel sorry for Norgrove and move on...Safe as it ever will be..

There is only so much any sanctioning body can do, it is the personal decision of each boxer themselves to box and there personal decision to drain their bodies to make weight.

The point made about prolonged beatings is one that makes a lot of sense, if you look at the majority of boxing deaths they almost always happen late.

Is there a test that can tell you hydration levels instantly - or within the same day? If so perhaps incorporate it into the weigh in.

Accidents happen in sport...........and they always will...........

Make drivers in Formula one signal before they overtake perhaps???

Have tick boxing instead of the real thing...

Boxing is safer than it used to be..

winchester wrote:Im afraid I dont believe the use of protective headwear in boxing is more dangerous than without it.

Amateurs can fight on a regular basis because they fight less rounds and are better protected. It is the competition without any protective head wear and longer lasting fights that are more dangerous.

Safety should be paramount so I think new ways to make the sport safer should be looked at. Better protective headwear, more padded gloves, ensuring athletes are properly hydrated.

I'd hazard a guess that dehydration is key to serious injuries in boxing. The Cerebrospinal fluid that encases your brain is a shock absorber that prevents injury during accleration/deceleration injuries. If you are severely dehydrated then there will be less CSF to cushion the brain. Head guards would make minimal difference. Bout length and the current style of amateur boxing make it safer, less focus on power shots, knockouts, etc but rather scoring points. If you're dehydrated and getting your head snapped back regularly then I doubt the head guard would make too much difference

winchester wrote:Im afraid I dont believe the use of protective headwear in boxing is more dangerous than without it.

Amateurs can fight on a regular basis because they fight less rounds and are better protected. It is the competition without any protective head wear and longer lasting fights that are more dangerous.

Safety should be paramount so I think new ways to make the sport safer should be looked at. Better protective headwear, more padded gloves, ensuring athletes are properly hydrated.

What you do or do not believe is irrelevant. Wearing head gear is more dangerous. That is a scientifically proven fact.

Just been reading the BBoCs statement on Sky Sports. According to reports Norgrove took very little punishment during fight.

hampo171 wrote:Just been reading the BBoCs statement on Sky Sports. According to reports Norgrove took very little punishment during fight.

I haven't read this statement, but I do know someone who was there at ringside. He actually trains at The Ring gym and is close friends with the promoter of the show. I think it was the first fully-professional show at The Ring for over 70 years.

Anyway, he told me that it wasn't a particularly tough fight but apparently there had already been some murmurings of discontent about Norgrove's condition a couple of rounds before it was eventually stopped. A few people had raised concerns, unfortunately only amongst themselves, about Norgrove in as much as his eyes were flickering around excessively and his breathing was irregular. They hadn't said anything to the people who matter though as no-one really grasped what was happening in the heat of the moment. In all likelihood it wouldn't have made any difference anyway.

Terrible story and really makes you wonder why you watch boxing sometimes.

Head scans before every fight.