Tim O'Connell
Should boxing be banned?
Last year half the world stood still for one of the biggest spectacles in sport - a championship-boxing match. In May 2002, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson stepped in the ring to settle a yearlong grudge by fighting each other. For the event, both men were flown to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they trained for weeks and prepared themselves for the bout. The revenue created from stadium seats, advertising and pay-per-view television (arranged by Don King of course) amounted to over 100 million dollars, all leading up to a bout that, in all possibility, could have been over in the first round. Months of preparation and millions of dollars in investment would climax in a 3-minute event.
There is no doubt that boxing is big business and lucrative to invest in, but some people believe that boxing should be banned because of its violent and aggressive nature, and they refuse to regard it as 'sport'. Boxing, which is basically the act of fighting to knock your opponent out, began when the Greeks staged arranged fights in the Ancient Olympics, where it was regarded as prestigious as the javelin throwing and running events. As Roman sport centred on mortal combat and elaborate deaths, boxing today generally celebrates violence and a good knockout. Boxing seems to be a mindless sport with little skill but a resistance to pain and an aggressive streak. Anti-boxing activists claim that the main reasons why boxing should be are more important than any economic benefit. Firstly, common human opinion regards fighting as a primitive way to solve any grudge or problems rather than communicating.
Should boxing be banned?
Last year half the world stood still for one of the biggest spectacles in sport - a championship-boxing match. In May 2002, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson stepped in the ring to settle a yearlong grudge by fighting each other. For the event, both men were flown to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they trained for weeks and prepared themselves for the bout. The revenue created from stadium seats, advertising and pay-per-view television (arranged by Don King of course) amounted to over 100 million dollars, all leading up to a bout that, in all possibility, could have been over in the first round. Months of preparation and millions of dollars in investment would climax in a 3-minute event.
There is no doubt that boxing is big business and lucrative to invest in, but some people believe that boxing should be banned because of its violent and aggressive nature, and they refuse to regard it as 'sport'. Boxing, which is basically the act of fighting to knock your opponent out, began when the Greeks staged arranged fights in the Ancient Olympics, where it was regarded as prestigious as the javelin throwing and running events. As Roman sport centred on mortal combat and elaborate deaths, boxing today generally celebrates violence and a good knockout. Boxing seems to be a mindless sport with little skill but a resistance to pain and an aggressive streak. Anti-boxing activists claim that the main reasons why boxing should be are more important than any economic benefit. Firstly, common human opinion regards fighting as a primitive way to solve any grudge or problems rather than communicating.
