Doctors want to KO boxing
New Zealand doctors have called for an immediate ban on boxing.
The call follows the death last week of Christchurch man Kain Parsons, who was knocked out at a charity boxing event. His funeral was held yesterday.
The New Zealand Medical Association said boxing was ‘‘qualitatively different’’ from other sports because of the injuries it causes and should be banned. ‘‘There is significant evidence that shows the damage that is done to the brain by multiple injuries,’’ NZMA chair Dr Kate Baddock said.
However, Lance Revill, a wellknown New Zealand boxing identity, strongly disagreed with the call for the sport to be banned.
Revill started as an amateur in 1969 and he said he had more than 100 fights during his career with no ill-effects. He fought professionally from 1974-1990.
‘‘I’ve been for two brain scans when people thought I needed one and both times I’ve been sharp and answered all the questions,’’ he told Stuff yesterday.
‘‘The [doctors] said there was no need for me to have a scan and they said ‘who sent you?’ I would be a great example of why they shouldn’t ban boxing.’’
A two-time professional New Zealand champion in the respective light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, Revill fought two rounds with the late, great Muhammad Ali in Auckland in 1979 and won a bronze medal as an amateur at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.
Revill, a former Boxing New Zealand president, said banning boxing would cause uproar.
‘‘You can’t just ban boxing because that [death] happened. You would have to ban mountain climbing, rugby and rugby league because there have been deaths in those sports.
‘‘What about guys like David Nyika? He won a [heavyweight] gold medal for New Zealand [at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April].
‘‘What about the famous people in the world like Muhammad Ali? He’s a legend, that guy, all through boxing.’’
The 65-year-old, who still coaches boxing at his gym in Pakuranga, said a number of corporate boxers were not properly prepared to jump in the ring.
‘‘Corporate boxing has come on to the scene and the corporates that have come through my system have been trained.
‘‘Then, there are trainers [working] with corporate boxers who don’t know what they’re talking about.
‘‘That fight in Christchurch is a classic case – he shouldn’t have been in the ring in the first place.’’
The New Zealand Medical Journal published research in May that highlighted six out of eight amateur, or professional, boxers presented with early onset dementia and another with dementia, Baddock said.
‘‘This is unacceptable in today’s society. The NZMA calls for an immediate ban on boxing.’’
Parsons, 37, died in Christchurch Hospital four days after he was knocked unconscious during a fight against former Canterbury and Tasman Mako halfback Steve Alfeld at Fight for Christchurch on November 3.
It was later revealed that Parsons had taken two weeks off training for the fight because of an incident during sparring.
After Parsons’ death, BNZ turned its back on corporate boxing, saying it held ‘‘very real and grave concerns’’ over the safety of its participants.
‘‘I would be a great example of why they shouldn’t ban boxing.’’
Lance Revill, left