An estimated 40,000 boxing fans watched Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh earlier this month.
Millions of people tuned into official and unofficial broadcasts around the world to watch Usyk defend his title against Fury in an impressive bout that reportedly earned the boxers $191m in prize money.
Earlier this year, an estimated 60 million households watched the fight between aging boxing legend Mike Tyson and YouTube star Jake Paul. This was in addition to the 72,000 people inside the arena in Texas who paid a whopping $18.1m to watch the fight in person, according to promoters.
Boxing: It's a knockout
By 2024, the staggering number of eyeballs, internet search queries and audience figures across all viewing platforms confirmed boxing's status as one of the most popular and followed sports in the world.
But given the brutal nature of boxing, should it be considered a sport?
While other sports work hard to protect the participants more, especially from injuries related to the collision, boxing encourages the very opposite: cause as much damage to the opponent as possible, leading to submission or elimination as a possible result, all this deliberately, celebrated and praised with fame and financial rewards.
“Compared to other contact sports, boxing has been known to have a high rate of concussions,” Dr Ejaz Shamim, a neurosurgeon and chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Kaiser Permanente Research Institute, told Al Jazeera.
“A concussion happens when the brain pushes back and forth and hits the inside of the skull. This causes brain damage and occurs every time a boxer is hit in the head. Each concussive event is similar to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). With every TBI, there is irreversible brain damage.
“It is considered that in boxing, a person gets hit in 12.5 minutes alone. A protective helmet doesn't help much with collisions. Internal trauma to the brain occurs every time a boxer is hit in the head, protected with or without the head.”
According to the Manuel Velazquez Collection, which records boxing deaths, an estimated 13 boxers are killed in the ring every year. A separate study by the Association of Ringside Physicians says there were at least 339 deaths from 1950 to 2007, “with a higher percentage in the lower weight classes”.
The amazing sight of 58-year-old Tyson behind the ring delighted millions of his fans. But should the popularity, fame and income the sport brings outweigh the risks and threats? And which is better than the other?
“People may get into boxing to vent their anger and frustration, but they quickly learn that these things have little or no place in the gym or the ring,” said Philip O'Connor, a sports journalist.
“Very few have what it takes to get into the ring to compete with someone using a limited rule set where the goal is to knock your opponent unconscious or at least hurt them more than they hurt you.
“After watching boxing and various karate sports for a long time and practicing more than my fair share, I can say that in my opinion the psychological and physical benefits far outweigh the risks, but we must always strive to improve safety and eliminate or reduce risks. to the greatest extent possible.”
There is nothing unusual about boxing injuries
Research shows that up to 20 percent of boxers will experience bullying in their career, although many are unreported, especially in novice boxing.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where boxing is defined as an emerging sport, it had the highest number of injuries, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM). At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, it was second in BMX. Overall, it ranks fifth on the list of Olympic sports with the highest injury rates.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons states that 90 percent of boxers sustain a traumatic brain injury during their career. Alzheimer's Research and Therapy reported that former boxers remain at high risk of natural brain aging and brain diseases.
Although the World Boxing Federation (WBF) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) did not respond to Al Jazeera's questions about the sport's brutality and safety, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it “provides athletes and spectators with the best sport and the safest conditions possible.” are the priorities of the IOC and the entire Olympic Movement”, and added that “Olympic-style boxing does not have knockouts as a goal, and knockouts do not goals”.
The spokesperson of the WBF has previously said that “boxing does the best for the youth, it takes them off the streets, away from drugs, teaches them good behavior, self-confidence, that the good far outweighs the bad”.
The popularity of boxing
Given the history of the sport, the number of participants around the world and the money involved, boxing is unlikely to die out as a sport.
In the United States alone, the number of people participating in boxing reached about 6.7 million in 2021, according to market research company Statista, which added that the market size of the global boxing equipment industry reached more than $1.6bn in the same year.
The total revenue of the World Boxing Council (WBC) from 2011 to 2020 was over $32m.
Forbes reported that professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr earned $275m for his 2017 fight with MMA boxer-turned-conor McGregor, while McGregor earned an estimated $100m for the biggest payday in sports history.
“In terms of global media popularity, boxing in 2024 is the fifth most popular sport in the world and the most popular combat sport,” said Kamilla Swart-Arries, associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
“It has attracted stars who have gone beyond their sports to become world cultural stars. Many boxers get fame all over the world. Along with the images and role models, boxing also has low barriers to entry, is easily accessible and encourages community building with boxing gyms becoming essential in communities where youth can stop fighting and practice sports as an alternative to social problems.”
The way forward
So instead of banning boxing, could more safety regulations, stricter rules and banning certain practices make the sport safer?
“Major safety improvements have been made in boxing over the years to strengthen the protection of fighters and reduce the risk of serious injuries. “Although the nature of the sport makes it very risky, this development aims to create a safer environment for the fighters, reducing the chances of serious injury and death,” added Swart-Arries.
“I don't think so [boxing] it should be stopped as there are many other games that are considered dangerous. All these games will continue to attract the whole world and attract so they will not be discarded so it is important that they continue to improve to be safe.”
Another study published by BJSM stated that there are about six to eight injuries per thousand rounds of boxing. About 10 to 20 percent of boxing injuries are serious or potentially life-threatening, according to BJSM research.
O'Connor, who is also a martial arts instructor, says “one boxer dies one boxer too many”, adding that the sport still has “a long way to go in terms of military safety”.
“Boxing is somehow always with us and will always be with us. The aim should be to ensure that it is conducted in a fair, transparent and safe manner that ensures the participants' physical well-being. Any change must be considered and implemented to maintain the integrity of the sport.”
Head injuries, including concussions, brain bleeds and skull fractures, are the most common and serious injuries in boxing. Among other injuries are cuts, broken noses and eye injuries, highlighting the brutality of this game.
While research is still ongoing, some studies have suggested that up to 50 percent of professional boxers may show symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a chronic degenerative brain disorder – after finishing their career.
“Preventing concussions is very important in preventing the development of permanent brain damage in the future,” said Shamim, a neurosurgeon. “Each conflict has a cumulative effect and with every conflict you are at risk of getting the next conflict.
“One-man combat as a spectator sport like boxing has existed for thousands of years and it is unlikely that it will ever end. But boxing carries with it a high risk of concussion and traumatic brain injury. With combat sports, the risk of concussions and other injuries will always be there.”
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