Professor Chuck Marbry
YES, THE NUMBERS, THEY SPEAK IN SO MANY WAYS!
Charlotte. NC– While I will be the first to admit that the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the boxing airwaves, Pedro Fernandez does not need The Professor or anyone else to back him up, but Pedro hit the proverbial nail on the head with his views on Bobby Gunn and perhaps the resurgence of bare-knuckle-boxing. Pedro cited the five year study by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that showed that 20% (or a little over) of boxers wearing gloves of 8 & 10 ounces suffered concussions, while MMA fighters who fight with 4 ounce gloves have a concussion rate of less than 2%.
WHAT WERE BOXING GLOVES DESIGNED FOR?
Pedro also said that gloves were introduced into boxing (and I paraphrase) to protect the hands of fighters, not necessarily to protect the fighters overall health and well being. Since the Bobby Gunn vs Rich Stewart bare-knuckle bout on the Yavapai Nation Reservation in Arizona back on August 8th, I’ve had a bit of time to let this digest, and get some more information.
ICONIC PADDY MONAGHAN SAYS “BARE KNUCKLE BOXING” ALIVE IN EUROPE!
First, Bare-Knuckle-Boxing has never gone away. In Europe, especially in the UK, Bare-Knuckle-Boxing (BKB) is still going on big time. And no less an expert than Paddy Monaghan, the undefeated BKB middleweight champion of the world, with 114 fights from 1962 to 1980, who helped me with an interview for this article that began with Monaghan saying, “Bare-Knuckle-Boxing (BKB) is safer than gloved boxing, if the BKB fighters are trained professionally. With gloved fighting, they aim for the head and punch each others brains around for 12 rounds. But if people understand more about BKB boxing they would see it’s safer, as BKB experienced fighters are scheduled for 10 three minute rounds, and we don’t punch to the head all night as the head is the hardest part of the body.”
“THE PROFESSOR” FOUGHT BOTH AMATEUR & PROFESSIONAL
And speaking from experience, I always used to aim for the largest and softest part of my opponent…the torso, stomach, and ribs, then I would concentrate on the Solar Plexus. You will find one good shot to the Solar Plexus can actually KO an opponent, or if not, it will take the wind out of him so he cannot rise. And as far as head punches were concerned with me, they were minimal, because if you punched to the head all night, your knuckles would be done for, despite them being covered with the wraps. I found BKB much safer because I would rather have retired with busted hands (as they are now) than being retired with a busted brain. So, in my opinion, yes, BKB is indeed safer than gloved boxing.
NOTED SPORTS HISTORIAN & HIS TAKE ON BOXING GLOVES
I appreciate Paddy sharing his time and insight with me, as he is probably the worlds leading expert on the subject. In addition, according to Sports Historian Nicholas Hobbes in an article from “Like 22 Words via Neatorama” wrote: Gloves were introduced into boxing for two main reasons: (1) To shorten matches- The last bare-knuckle match in 1897 went for 75 rounds. (That pretty much would not fit in today’s PPV time frame)
(2) Because “audiences wanted to see repeated blows to the head and dramatic knockouts.”
BARE KNUCKLE BOXING IS FIGHTING AT IT’S PUREST!
Hobbes goes on to say that the reason that bare-knuckle-boxers took the stance that looks silly to us today is that they were mainly trying to protect their bodies. The head was not a primary target, since a worthwhile punch to the skull would probably break the punchers hand. Not so once gloves were introduced. Gloves distribute the force of a punch more widely, reducing the instances of broken jaws, knocked out teeth, and blindness. (Apparently, slamming ones opponents head is sometimes worth the broken hand) But gloves also add 10 ounces to each swing making a full punch “comparable to being hit with a 12 lb padded wooden mallet traveling at 20mph.” (Hobbes)
HISTORIAN HOBBES BRINGS IN THE “DEATH FACTOR”
“And, now with the pain of clobbering a skull significantly reduced, the head has become a (the) primary target. Before, boxing was messier and perhaps more voyeuristically violent. But now it’s deadly.” (Hobbes) Here is how Mr Hobbes closes his article; “As the bare-knuckle campaigner Dr. Alan J. Ryan pointed out, “In 100 years of bare-knuckle-fighting in the United States…there wasn’t a single ring fatality.” Today, there are three or four every year in the US…worldwide, there have been over 400 boxing (related) deaths in the last 50 years alone…
WOULD THE CRIMSON TURN ON OR OFF “REAL” FIGHT FANS?
A return to bare-knuckles would be bloodier and less acceptable to mass television audiences, but one had to ask whether wheelchairs and life-support machines are any easier on ones conscience…Looks like Pedro is on to something that the rest of fistiania is not, or at least is not ready to admit.
Professor Chuck Marbry