BRAVERY HAS ITS LIMITS
MANY years ago, an act of astonishing bravery occurred when Don Cockell took a fearsome beating from Rocky Marciano. That same night, an unrecorded act of cowardice took place near London’s East End. An 18-year-old fight enthusiast with an undistinguished amateur record of four contests, four losses, decided to give it one more try. He turned up at Stoke Newington Town Hall and asked the organisers if they had an opponent for him. He was welcomed with news that a boxer had failed to appear. He was taken down to the dressing room and told to get changed; he would be on after the interval. A taller than average youth, he looked around the room and saw that there were just three boxers of a similar size. All looked fierce, all looked athletic and all looked like they were capable of doing him serious injury. After a few moments of reflection, he decided he had better things to do. He got dressed, collected his kit bag and fled home without explanation to the matchmaker. That young man was me. I never put on gloves again.
For the remainder of my life I have been an armchair fight fan and today, unlike several ex-boxers of my age, have all my faculties. This little anecdote is relevant because, over the years, I have seen so many contests where the savagery and danger of brain damage has been quite obvious. For many years I have enjoyed watching two fighters knock seven bells out of each other, but now I question my love for the sport and the moral conflict it brings. Last month, Lucas Browne took a six-round beating from Dillian Whyte which culminated in him being knocked stone cold. After a fine effort, David Price ended up in a similar state after fighting Alexander Povetkin. Can anyone say, hand on heart, that those two boxers – and thousands more – will not suffer in later life as a consequence of those punches? It’s time for the boxing community to have a long hard look at our sport and do more to protect the fighters.
Sometimes a boxer is taking a beating but continues to fight back. That is no justification to allow a contest to continue. Fighters, although courageous, need more protection for their own good. Referees should not be afraid to stop a bout for fear of criticism. Bottom line must always be the boxer’s safety, both short and long-term. If the sport does not recognise the problem, others will. More injuries or fatalities will only add fuel for the anti-boxing brigade. Dementia and brain damage in the elderly are regularly linked to a history of receiving punches to the head. It is this fact that needs to be faced by those who supervise the sport. Max Winberg