Albany Skatepark - January 26, 2014

In Albany today, along with most of the west, weather didn't feel like January weather. It felt more like a spring day. Temperatures were balmy, and the bright sun, warmed faces and hands.

The gear I used, are Canon digital DSLR bodies, the 7D and XTi. Canon and Sigma lenses were used today. The Sigma EX 10-20mm f4-5.6 HSM and Canon's EFS 60mm f2.8 Macro USM.

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Headgear In Boxing, A View From An Ex Fighter

Headgear In Boxing

by Ronald Borst

As a child, I boxed a bit. Nothing too serious, but enough to see the merits of the protective headgear that I was required to wear.

But professionals within the ranks of boxing, and some scientific studies, suggest that headgear may not provide all the benefits that are commonly thought. Amateur boxing has had headgear rules for some time, and the benefits seem undeniable. In light of new data, should boxing have headgear rules, or even the headgear itself?

What are the benefits of headgear, both short term and long term? What are the disadvantages? Are there significant risks in not wearing headgear, in regard to boxing? These are questions we should ask of the sport, especially when one considers boxing's recent resurgence in popularity.

According to a recent news article from The Guardian, boxing curriculums in England's high schools increased from 20 to almost 2000 in the short period from 2005 until 2009. Boxing in the United States, and other countries has also increased, and today it is not uncommon for American high schools and colleges, to have their own boxing teams. Even churches have boxing clubs, as witnessed by Corvallis Oregon's, Corvallis Boxing Club, a faith-based boxing team from New Life Christian Church in Corvallis.

Mandatory headgear in boxing began at the 1984 Olympiad in Los Angeles, California, and had been used in amateur boxing exclusively, until recently, when headgear rules were changed to allow amateur male boxers to box without the vision-restricting, protective gear. Youth and women who fight in the amateur ranks, still have to wear the headgear.

The onset of the headgear itself, was a knee-jerk response from the management of the sport, based on criticisms of boxing's effects on health, and boxing's lack of any prevention tactics. The end result of that criticism and response, was the AIBA(International Boxing Association) enacting headgear rules in time for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
 

And today, boxers are fighting without headgear for the first time since.

Why the sudden shift in ideology concerning the medical purposes of boxing headgear? According to an article by Discovery Channel's online site, DiscoveryTech(discovery.com), Jesse Emspak states of the function of headgear, “Padded headgear and boxing gloves may seem like common-sense equipment for a boxer, now science is backing that up.”

If the “common-sense equipment” is being discarded in the wake of science playing “backup,” what exactly are the facts about headgear, and should headgear be mandatory?

To begin answering these questions, we must first look at the history of boxing and its headgear. It seems a valid point, to state that headgear in boxing is relatively new, and data is incomplete. Ninety years of sanctioned boxing in the United States, took place before any headgear mandate.

To be blunt, boxing has never really addressed its safety issues correctly. And old fighters tend to die old fighters. So, headgear has never been considered a part of the sport. Boxers were expected to duck and dodge punches, and absorb them when getting hit.

The gloves, on the other hand, have been getting technical upgrades throughout the span of boxing matches, and today the gloves are the safest in history. This is one reason why boxing is no longer considered “barbaric.” Boxing has tried to clean up its act. But headgear was never considered during the cleaning up, mostly due to vision restraints produced by the peripherally blocking headgear.

“Boxing safety has improved,” says Tessa Jowell(The Guardian 11-15-09), and now ranks above gymnastics on a sports safety scale.

Now, according to Emspak, a team of scientist from the Cleveland Clinic, have proven the without-a-doubt facts about boxing headgear. The team studied “linear” impacts and “rotational” impacts. Linear impacts are straight on hits, while rotational impacts are the kind that come from angles. These rotational impacts cause the head to spin, and that is different from the head-on impacts(linear).

In the study, it was proven that headgear has little effect on stopping rotational impact damage, but does do much to minimize the effects of linear impacts. Heavier padding was also proven to be effective against the effects of linear impacts. Another statistic of the study, was the headgear's ability to lessen future brain damage, as the study stated, “The effects of getting hit, accumulate faster in fighters who do not wear headgear.”(Discovery Tech News 2-8-12)

This line of thinking, that headgear HAS to be protective, has been a common thread for thirty-five years. And as usual, these opinions have been countered. In recent news, USA Boxing Team Physician, Barry Jordan M. D., tells of the reasons behind the lifting of mandatory headgear, “Boxing has four ways that a fighter can get brain damage, and headgear prevents none of them.”

The four ways to brain injuries are:

• Rotational Acceleration
• Linear Acceleration
• Injury to Carotid Arteries
• Impact Deceleration

These four ways are caused by direct impacts, gloves to head and gloves to neck, as well as head to floor, when a fighter falls and the head impacts with the ring mat. As Jordan stated, the headgear we are accustomed to seeing in boxing, does not prevent brain damage caused by these events.

“At first glance,” Jordan said, “it seems risk of concussion, would rise without boxer's having headgear.”

It does not, however, as “headgear does not stop rotation impacts, the kind that cause concussions,” said Jordan.

But Doctor Jordan, who leads the brain injury program at Burke Rehab Hospital, also said that the presence of headgear “reduces eye trauma, facial lacerations, and nose injuries.

Some trainers and boxing gurus say that the “sweet science” has changed, and those changes are not necessarily good. In Ring Magazine's article “Power Outage,” by Don Stradley, trainer Joe Goosen said, “When I see amateurs now, it's horrendous, it's disturbing.” What Goosen is saying, is that trainers are not teaching the correct skills anymore, and that is more dangerous than not wearing headgear. Goosen, who has trained the best in the world for forty years, pointed to the amateurs of the 1960s and 70s, who fought without headgear and with pro style gloves and professional rules.

There is an emphasis on technique, Goosen says, and in boxing, at the core, that means getting hit less. George Evans, an Albany, Oregon boxer, who now trains amateurs, said that headgear “is a bigger target, resulting in more blows.” Evans, after almost five hundred bouts, said, “I never wore headgear, and I am doing pretty good.”

Some are not doing so good, and boxing has tried to address that, by mandating headgear and also a slew of other rules and focus points, aimed at protecting fighters.

In Doug Ward's report(Title Boxing, 5-8-13) , the “safety” of boxing was documented, and boxing ranked high against other sports. Even though Title Boxing may seem to be on the surface, biased, that is simply not true. They are of course, invested in boxing, but to ignore the legitimacy of boxing by offering fallacies, is not their cup of tea. The company staff are interested in making their sport the best it can be, and that means self-examining and correcting, if needed. Title just doesn't make boxing gear, Title wants to make boxing.

Title's safety report claims boxing is safer than most sports, and pointed to the National Safety Council's(NSC) annual report on sports injuries, and accompanying statistics. Not only did Ward find less injuries amongst boxing athletes, but boxing had less injuries than many NON-contact sports. Boxing had less rate of injury, than cheerleading, according to the NSC.

Ward went on to document boxing's safety focus, saying that referees are better trained, and that coaches, doctors, and referees, are all present during bouts, and more importantly, “all are monitoring the fighters.”

In retrospect, we know that boxing is dangerous. And we know that it does cause brain injury. Even though we can conclude that headgear does not prevent concussions and even brain damage, we can also conclude that there are enough benefits of the head protection, that it should be worn by all amateur fighters.

Pros Vs. Cons:

Headgear Pros	Headgear Cons
Facial Protection(lacerations, etc.)	Accelerated Brain Injury Symptoms
Linear Impact Protection	No Protection From Concussion
Less Severe Long Term Brain Damage	Uncomfortable
Longer Quality Of Life Span	Restricts Vision

When we weigh the negative aspects of protective headgear in boxing, I believe we can conclude that wearing headgear is more beneficial than not wearing the padded headgear. Even when we consider that headgear does little to protect against concussion, we can still come to the conclusion that the protections against linear trauma, and the fact wearing headgear results in less occurrences of future brain damage, is enough on its own, to warrant wearing headgear when boxing.

I believe, that if one wears gloves in the garden, to protect against thorns, then it is indeed common sense to believe also, that wearing headgear to prevent facial cuts and to lessen the severity of future brain function, is indeed common sense.

                   Photos by Ronald Borst

                   Corvallis Boxing Club's "Fight Night 2014"

                   Canon 7D and EF 50mm f1.4 USM

                 

Email rborstfishon@gmail.com for,
photo re-use permissions,
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and other business.

Attribution:

Clinical Neurology News, “Headgear Comes Off” by Barry Jordan M.D., July 2013

Ring Magazine, “Power Outage” by Don Stradley, March 2012

Discovery Tech News, discovery.com, “Headgear Protects Boxers' Brains, Mostly” by Jesse Emspak, Dec 2008

http://news.discovery.com/tech/headgear-protects-boxers-brains-120208.htm

The Guardian, “Off the Ropes,” by Matthew Taylor and Owen Gibson, November 2009

Title Boxing, “Is Boxing Safe?” by Doug Ward, May 8, 2013

http://www.titleboxing.com/news/is-boxing-safe/

Interview with former boxer and current trainer, George Evans, January 2014

Fight Night 2014 at The Corvallis Boxing Club

Corvallis, Oregon.

Quaint, quiet, and winter gray; it is a small, conservative farming community, with a small college school. Corvallis is educated and peaceful. Boxing in this tiny, college-town community, came to a church on January 11th.

Boxing at a church? Sounds like a Rodney Dangerfield punchline, doesn't it? It is not.

On a two-lane stretch of highway, just north of town, the New Life Community Church sits among rolling foothills and fir trees, a perfect place to have hosted boxing on January 11th, 2014. The church has its own boxing team, and this was its inaugural event. Fight Night 2014 wasn't as full as other recent amateur boxing cards, but it was exciting as any in recent memory.

A six fight card, a video presentation, varied vendors, appearances by local law enforcement, VIPs from the boxing world, a multi-prize raffle, and a talk by Head Coach Dan Dunn, were the highlights for this typically stormy, Pacific Northwest Saturday.

The boxing team is coached by Dan Dunn, no stranger to the fight game himself. Dunn first laced up gloves in high school, and then again as an Army boxer. Later, Dunn studied martial arts, Muay Thai kickboxing, and even practiced Brazilian Jui-Jitsu with Ralf Gracie. Dunn, to say the least, has been around the ring.

Dunn is half of a coaching duo. Former United States Olympics qualifier, George 'TNT' Evans, is the other half of the team's coaching prowess. Evans started boxing in 1965, and by the early 1980s, Evans had established himself as a force in the ring. An alternate on the 1980 USA Olympic Team, Evans turned pro shortly after America boycotted the Moscow Olympics.

Evans' experience, almost 500 total fights, was a welcome sight for Dunn. "He(Evans) is the pulse in the gym," Dunn says, "it(Corvallis Boxing) wouldn't be the same without George."

Although friends for many years, Dunn and Evans connected in the early days of The Corvallis Boxing Club, just a year ago. Dunn had met with church personnel and had done a few workshops. Evans ventured in, and here we are today. The gym operated out of, and still does, a small pole barn on the church grounds. Dunn and Evans, alongside Oregon State University(OSU) student, and Corvallis Boxing Club President, Caleb Lau, would have the boxing club well known in this sprawling farmland community within months.

The gym has about 40 members and continues to grow. It has memberships to USA Boxing available, as well as a free Corvallis Boxing Club, gym "trial membership," to see if the sweet science is for you.

The club exists in a church atmosphere, and being that boxing has a certain grittiness, Dunn thinks it's a great fit, saying, "We want to get out in the community and be mentors, motivators, and leaders...we want to help any way we can."

Fight Night 2014 had almost a dozen vendors, including the National Guard, Corvallis Police, G3 Sports, Downing's World Gym, Timberhill Athletic Club, and HOPE radio. Food and beverages were plenty, and a raffle had multiple prizes for the crowd. X-box video games, local business gift certificates, and club apparel, made up the prize pool. Attendance was around 400.

USA Boxing had a role, as veteran referee Ken Miller was the "third man in the ring," for the six-fight card. Dr. John Denker, a regular volunteer at these events, handled the prefight physicals, as well as being the ringside medical doctor. Rory Baarstad donated his time, and handled USA Boxing registration and inspections. Without these folks, and many other unmentioned, these amateur boxers would have a tough go of it. A beautiful venue, with extraordinary staff, is worth gold, so to speak. And for young boxers, it's a winning situation.

VIPs that attended included Bill Meatz, former Olympic Boxing coach and President of USA Boxing; Corvallis Chief of Police Jon Sassaman, pro fighter Derrick Samuels, and amateur world champion, Akayla Devereaux.

Clubs that attended were Victory Gym, from Albany, Shamrock Boxing Club, Valor Boxing out of Eugene, West Portland Boxing, and Knott Street from Portland, among others, also took part in Fight Night 2014.

The 2014 Corvallis Boxing Club Fight Night card:

Bout 1 - 190 pounds  -   Red Corner: Abraham Martin - Valor Boxing(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Jose Altamirano - Corvallis Boxing Club

Bout 2 - 135 pounds -    Red Corner: Issac Wentmore - Victory Gym(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Blu Miggett   -   Knott Street Boxing

Bout 3 - 150 lbs.       -    Red Corner: Marsilino Reyes - Shamrock Boxing(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Caleb Lau  -  Corvallis Boxing Club

Bout 4 - 201+            -    Red Corner: David Olah - Victory Gym(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Jason Smith - West Eugene Boxing

Bout 5 - 154 lbs.       -    Red Corner: Salvador Reyes - Shamrock Boxing(W)
                                  -   Blue Corner: Craig Halaas  -  Corvallis Boxing Club

Main Event   -    165 pounds             Red Corner:       Omar Murillo     -      Corvallis Boxing Club(W)
                                                          Blue Corner:       Zack Colton       -       Victory Gym

Six bouts were on the card, and three fights highlighted the evening, as the main event was a powerful match-up, with local boxer Omar Murillo winning a close decision. All six fights were competitive and exciting, with two seeing stoppages. For a smallish fight card, it delivered some punch. "We plan to do this again in March," said Dunn.

Boxing has come to the Willamette Valley in Corvallis, Oregon. And after a successful first year, culminating in a well-rounded event, Dunn is ready for growth. And not just in the boxers or the gym.

"Seeing these college students grow, you can't help but learn about yourself. There's an old saying in boxing: 'It's me versus me.' It's all about personal growth," Dunn told me.

After watching boxing, in a beautiful church out on Highway 99, I am convinced. Personal growth is indeed a staple of this boxing club.

The Corvallis Boxing Club is on Facebook, as is USA Boxing, and most of the boxing clubs involved, are also on Facebook. To help support local youth, and collegiate students, contact Dan Dunn, George Evans, or New Life Community Church.

Credits provided by Dan Dunn:

Team Event Staff Leaders: Keeley Cummings (Event Coordinator), Christian Coursey (Security), Riley Rinker (Admission and Tickets) and Coach George Evans (match maker), Scott Marcin (Video Production), Ron Borst (Photographer), Jacob Cummings (DJ)

Church Staff: Pastor Katy Weber (marketing), Pastor Dale Butler (MC), Pastor Andrew Sullivan (Snack Bar), Worship leader Dan Ryker (Band), Tim Palmer (Lights), Connor Whitmore (Sound)

Event Doctors Name: John Denker, MD

Event Chief Official and Referee: Ken Miller (Referee) and Rory Baarstad (State Registrar)

Vendors: G3 Sports; Downings World Gym; Timber Hill Athletic Club; Complete Nutrition; HOPE Radio; National Guard; Police Cadets

VIP’s that Attended: Chief Jon Sassaman (Corvallis Chief of Police) , Bill Meatz (Former Olympic Boxing Coach and President of USA Boxing) 

And Featuring: Steve Riley (LCC Church Member) Derrick Samuels (NABA US Junior Welterweight Champion), Akayla Devereaux (2013 Ringside Amateur World Champion), Ethan Stanley (2014 Regional Silver Gloves Champion)

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