No more headguards?

yore

Anyone else see this story? Is it real or are they mixing up different bits and pieces.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/olympics-2012/other-news/boxing-headguards-out-and-professionalism-in-for-boxing-at-next-olympics-3166417.html
I know that there were always mixed views about the headguards but I was always under the impression that one of their main purposes was to cushion the head in the event of being knocked to the canvas. And also to protect against the other fella using his head illegally. The new types they have now do protect the face (from cuts) a lot better than the older "Top Ten" ones if anyone remembers competing with those.
Do people think this is positive/negative/neutral? They say it's only for senior boxers anyway so you could argue that they shouldn't quite need the same protection from the issues I outlined above.

yore

Oh, and also. What do people think about this new Pro thing? I think that boxing should hold onto the amateur status fully for the Olympics. That includes rolling back on the WSB too. Maybe it's not practical though.
That said, if they keep the amateur system of points scoring and amateur duration of fights, the pros won't have that much, if any, of an advantage over the fellas who are in national squads anyway.

waterfordkick

yes as of from 2013 there will be no headguard for senior men. Senior women will still ware the headguard. i'm not too sure about youth boxers. its all on aiba website !

celtictiger32

just seen this tonight seemingly senior men will not have the headguards but women and juniors will still have them.

i dont think they should do away with them really for the amateurs it was always a big distinction from the pros -the headguards and vests.

cowzerp

celtictiger32 wrote: »

just seen this tonight seemingly senior men will not have the headguards but women and juniors will still have them.

i dont think they should do away with them really for the amateurs it was always a big distinction from the pros -the headguards and vests.

It wasn't always-I don't think their necessary anyway tbh-a bit of vaseline stops the cuts and the head guards gives your opponent a bigger target to hit.

gene_tunney

cowzerp wrote: »

It wasn't always-I don't think their necessary anyway tbh-a bit of vaseline stops the cuts and the head guards gives your opponent a bigger target to hit.

I agree, headgear only came in in 1984 I think.

Elite level boxers shouldn't require it, but I believe they are appropriate for intermediate and novice level boxers.

walshb

I would rather they kept the headgear. Any safety device should be kept, but I can also see the other side too. Even with the lack of a headgear the sport is safe and the referees keep a real close ey on the action. Sometimes I think they are too careful. I mean, there are times when a clean punch is landed, the man takes it well, but the ref jumps in to give a count?:rolleyes: It's boxing, not tickling. Or as Turkish would say: "It's a bare knuckle boxing match, not a tickling competition."

gene_tunney

walshb wrote: »

I would rather they kept the headgear. Any safety device should be kept, but I can also see the other side too. Even with the lack of a headgear the sport is safe and the referees keep a real close ey on the action. Sometimes I think they are too careful. I mean, there are times when a clean punch is landed, the man takes it well, but the ref jumps in to give a count?:rolleyes: It's boxing, not tickling. Or as Turkish would say: "It's a bare knuckle boxing match, not a tickling competition."

For me, safety is the number 1 priority in boxing, but head guards don't make much of a difference.

Head guards protect the temple (the weakest part of the skull is the pterion, where three of the skull bones meet, and this is at the temple. Underneath the pterion lies the middle meningeal artery, which, if ruptured, could cause a potentially fatal intracranial bleed.) and the back of the head from rabbit punches. They do not protect the jaw.

The risk of bleeds is minimal; boxers run a greater risk from punches to the jaw, which rock the skull and cause the brain to collide with the skull, causing damage. If you are boxing at elite level these are the chances you are going to have to take. I just don't think headgear is necessary at the top level.

That turned out to be a bit of a lecture!

walshb

gene_tunney wrote: »

For me, safety is the number 1 priority in boxing, but head guards don't make much of a difference.

Head guards protect the temple (the weakest part of the skull is the pterion, where three of the skull bones meet, and this is at the temple. Underneath the pterion lies the middle meningeal artery, which, if ruptured, could cause a potentially fatal intracranial bleed.) and the back of the head from rabbit punches. They do not protect the jaw.

The risk of bleeds is minimal; boxers run a greater risk from punches to the jaw, which rock the skull and cause the brain to collide with the skull, causing damage. If you are boxing at elite level these are the chances you are going to have to take. I just don't think headgear is necessary at the top level.

That turned out to be a bit of a lecture!

Are you from a neurological background? I have noticed several of your posts detail elements concerning the head and brain and injury possibilities.

gene_tunney

walshb wrote: »

Are you from a neurological background? I have noticed several of your posts detail elements concerning the head and brain and injury possibilities.

No, but I am a medical student. Almost finished my training in fact! I have a special interest in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury due to my love for boxing.

Bobby Baccala

I think it's a positive to be honest, the headguard slips off boxers and causes delays in the match, it also gives a slightly stunned boxer a chance to recover if his headgear is slipping off from a punch, they're a bit of an inconvenience.

yore

cowzerp wrote: »

It wasn't always-I don't think their necessary anyway tbh-a bit of vaseline stops the cuts and the head guards gives your opponent a bigger target to hit.

Yeah, but what's the current status with using vaseline? I seem to remember that there was a time when it was technically not allowed, but most refs would turn a blind eye to it as long as you weren't absolutely plastered in it. Then I think they changed the rules to allow it. Not sure of the current status.
It'll pi$$ off the yank boxers with their massive cheek protectors anyway!
What do you think would be the consensus if they made them "optional". A purely hypothetical scenario, but I'd have to imagine that most (experienced) boxers would chose to be without them anyway. I'd agree with keeping them for the novices and the kids though!

yore

P4DDY2K11 wrote: »

I think it's a positive to be honest, the headguard slips off boxers and causes delays in the match, it also gives a slightly stunned boxer a chance to recover if his headgear is slipping off from a punch, they're a bit of an inconvenience.

That's not necessarily a bad thing if you're on the wrong side of that slightly stunning punch ;-) . It's kinda like an unofficial 8-count in a way....sometimes if you have a good ref, and he sees a boy in trouble, and he's already after giving him a count that round and it's near the end of the round, then he can use it to give him a couple of seconds. (I think they guide you to stop a novice bout if you have to give two counts in a round or three overall).
Anyway, there is a limit to the number of times a headguard can be adjusted before a warning or disqualification, and if it comes off in the middle of some action, I think the ref is supposed to let it continue. That's the way with gumshields at least!
But we have all seen ridiculous cases where bouts are stopped and started every couple of seconds and it is annoying!