Mike Towell death prompts renewed calls for boxing ban

Doctors, health experts and politicians have repeated demands that boxing should be banned following the death of Scottish fighter Mike Towell.

The 25-year-old boxer was carried from the ring on a stretcher after a fifth-round loss to Dale Evans in a St Andrew’s Sporting Club fight in Glasgow on Thursday night.

Towell, from Dundee, was rushed to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University hospital by ambulance accompanied by his promoter, Tommy Gilmour. His management said Towell passed away 24 hours later with his family at his bedside.

His death comes less than seven months after a bout between Chris Eubank Jr and Nick Blackwell ended the latter’s career after he suffered bleeding in his skull. The fight was stopped in the 10th round.

The brain injury charity Headway called for boxing to be banned. “This was a young father in the prime of his life and quite rightly, the focus at this time should be on supporting the family,” said Peter McCabe, Headway’s chief executive.

“But the question remains: how many more lives have to be damaged or lost before this senseless sport is banned? As long as boxing is allowed to continue, more and more young lives will be damaged or lost as a result of opponents deliberately trying to cause neurological harm to each other.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/ ... boxing-ban

a former opponant of mine was good friends with this guy, sad news! RIP

Ban boxing. Yuh gonna get rid of ghettos and other breeding grounds that tough poverty nurtures? Yeah, nobody votes for death. But men with balls gonna take falls.

Why are there more deaths now than say 20 years ago?

Isn't there more regulations and rules now, which in theory, should make things safer?

Why are there more deaths now than say 20 years ago?

Isn't there more regulations and rules now, which in theory, should make things safer?

kiwiincambodia wrote:Why are there more deaths now than say 20 years ago?

Isn't there more regulations and rules now, which in theory, should make things safer?

Guns, cars and old age. Lets ban them, along side boxing.

boxing n all forms of fighting promotes our inner animalistic behaviour of survival of the fittest, so to ban it is to condemn human beings to fail evolution. we would become blobs with brains

tbh i can imagine there were far more deaths before the Queensberry Rules (1865) came out, which introduced Boxing Gloves, 3 minute rounds and 15 round limits
the earlier London Prize Ring Rules were far Tougher which included Bare knuckles, no round limits and basically last man standing

the first boxing gloves widely used were only 5oz Gloves.... in comparrison... modern day boxing gloves are 8-10oz and MMA mitts are 4oz

i love this old picture of Ray Campbell vs Dick Hyland from the 1920's from a 15 round war thats been restored to colour


for the Yanks, this guy is one of your first boxing icons, Sullivan boxed in the years of both set of rules, both his parents were Irish imigrants into America, he will be known as the first heavyweight champ under queensberry rules

In the US, he's better known as the inventor of spandex.