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Is amateur boxing safer than pro boxing?
Amateur boxing is safer than pro boxing. Amateur boxing goes
to great lengths to protect its athletes. Amateur boxers
must wear a mouthpiece at all times, force-absorbent
headgear, and a shirt to absorb sweat and dirt. Women boxers
are also required to wear breast protectors. Amateur boxing
gloves are designed to absorb not transmit shock. Finally,
amateur boxing referees exercise more control by using eight
counts and evaluating the boxers throughout the competitive
bout. In addition to these things, both pre-and post-bout
physicals are required of all amateur boxers.
How does amateur boxing safety rank with other contact
sports?
Amateur boxing ranks as the safest sport among contact
sports such as football and wrestling and among other events
such as equestrian events and motorcycle racing.
Doesn't boxing rank as the sport with the most
injuries?
No, according to the National Safety Council's recent
accident report, amateur boxing ranked 23rd on its list of
injuries. Boxing ranks lower in number of injuries when
compared to hockey, soccer, gymnastics, and in-line
skating.
What is USA Boxing doing to protect amateur
boxers?
In April 1986, after concerns were raised by the America
Medical Association and other medical societies, the United
States Olympic Committee, at the request of USA Boxing,
approved and funded a proposal by the John Hopkins Medical
Institutes to initiate a prospective study of active amateur
boxers. The study compared USA boxers with little or no
experience boxing and compared them to active amateur boxers
found no evidence of brain dysfunction or central nervous
system defect. The term brain dysfunction refers to the
"punch drunk" syndrome which indicates an impairment of
motor skills, loss of coordination and memory, and slurred
speech.
How does boxing compare to other sports in amount of
fatality rates?
Fatality rates per 100,000 participants
Horse-racing...........128
Sky-diving...............123
Hang gliding.............55
Mountaineering........51
Scuba diving............11
Motorcycle racing......7
College football..........3
Boxing...................1.5
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