Nowadays, many people think of boxing as a barbaric and ridiculous way to use one’s physical abilities and waste money on gambling. However, it is estimated that about 50 million people watch at least one big fight per year.
This means that if they all paid $100 per ticket for their seat at the match, it would bring in $5 billion per year! Some people say that this just shows how stupid everyone is because they will pay so much for such a simple thing as watching two people try to beat each other up for money.
Then, some people think of boxing as a sport that is tough but very exciting at the same time. They say that it can be seen as art because, in any good match, both fighters have an equal chance to win every second until the end. A lot of boxers do not use this opportunity though. Many boxers fight under names that they share with popular boxers from years ago or even decades before them!
For example, Sugar Ray Robinson’s real name was Walker Smith Jr., but he changed his name because he loved watching Sugar Ray Robinson fight when he was growing up and wanted to copy him by fighting with the same name! Most people agree that this ruined the sport because it is unfair to let one person keep winning just because they have a better name than their opponent.
Ever since the dawn of mankind, man has been faced with a dilemma: how to settle disputes. There have been many methods used throughout history to settle arguments and persuade people, from gladiators in ancient times to modern-day politics.
One method that has risen prominently in recent times is boxing. In this article, I will show whether or not boxing is a positive or negative thing for society, and then leave it up to you, the reader, to decide what you think of boxing after reading my article!
Statistical Data
Firstly I will be looking at some statistical data about the sport of professional boxing. Firstly I will look at the number of boxers who have died while still active fighters. The British Medical Association reported that from 1985-2005, sixty-nine boxers died as a result of injuries sustained during their boxing careers (BBC).
This is an alarming statistic and means that boxing comes with significant risks. On the other end of the spectrum, 168 professional boxers died after their career was overdue to health problems associated with them being punched in the head multiple times (BoxRec). I think it’s fair to say that these numbers show that boxing is dangerous.
A second statistical piece of evidence I will look at is life expectancy. The life expectancy for male boxers in America has been recorded as 54 years old. Male life expectancy is 76 everywhere else though (Oxbridge Notes), so this figure shows us how much shorter our boxer’s lives are likely to be.
Money
Next, I will look at the money boxing generates for big sportswear brands, in particular Nike. According to ESPN, in 2010 the business of boxing was worth $1 billion, and this figure is constantly rising. As an example of Nike’s interest in it, take a look at their recent sponsorship deal with boxer Adrien Broner(ESPN). Boxing is big business!
On the other side of the coin though, we have people like Muhammad Ali who refuse to fight (Ring Magazine) and many of his fans support him as such (the Guardian). This shows that there is some opposition towards boxing from high-profile athletes who feel that they shouldn’t punch each other in the head for money.
Number of Boxers
The next item of evidence I will look at is the number of people who box recreationally. The National Sporting Club estimated that there were 40,000 members of boxing gyms and clubs in Britain alone. This again shows just how popular the sport is, and it would be fair to say that not all these people want to become professional boxers. So this would suggest that some do take up the sport for fun.
On the other hand, some research conducted on young children suggests that such activities as boxing can make children more aggressive (ProCon). So we can see there are two opposing views about boxing: one saying it’s good because it’s empowering and gives you a sense of achievement, and one warning it could be dangerous and increase aggression. We will have to leave this for you, the reader, to decide!
In conclusion, boxing is a topic that has been debated by both sides of the argument; some say it’s good while others say it’s bad. Boxing is full of different opinions, and it will probably stay that way for a long time. It will be interesting to see how it changes in the future concerning health safety standards in particular. Perhaps someday boxing will become even safer than soccer, but only time will tell!
If you are considering boxing as a recreation, you can check on gyms bayside Melbourne.
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