It is time to question the necessity of boxing gloves. Boxing has become a popular sport and many new people participate in it, but some believe it should be abolished because of its dangers – including brain damage, concussions, and even death.
Doctors must ask an important question: Do boxing gloves cause more damage than they prevent?
Doctors agree that wearing boxing gloves decreases the damage to a boxer’s hands and wrists, but they also agree that it allows boxers to punch harder.
Do boxing gloves cause more damage than bare-knuckle fighting?
The answer is no. Gloves are worn in boxing for safety reasons for both the person hitting and the person being hit. If bare knuckles are used, hand injuries will be more common than they already are. There is no doubt that the force of a punch wearing gloves vs. punching bare-knuckle can cause more damage to the bones and joints of the hand/wrist. But the increased chance of injury must be weighed against the fact that it allows boxers to hit harder, which increases the chances of a knockout.
Do Boxing Gloves Soften the Hit?
No. Boxing gloves do not soften the hit. To understand why there is a need to discuss what happens when a person is punched in the face.
When a punch hits the face, most of the force goes through to the head and into the brain. A brain injury is more severe than a hand or wrist injury.
The brain is very sensitive and doesn’t have pain sensors, so it can be damaged without the person feeling any pain. The brain sits in a container called the skull, which is filled with fluid and has four different layers of tissues protecting it called the meninges.
When a punch hits the face, it causes two types of injuries:
- Depending on how strong the punch is and the angle it hits the head, the force of the punch can transmit through to the brain and cause a concussion. A concussion is a damage to the brain that temporarily stuns the person.
- When a punch hits the face, it can cause trauma to the brain and damage the meninges and break some of the bones in the skull. If this happens, then there is bleeding into and around the brain. Bleeding means that there is additional damage because blood vessels grow into damaged tissue and disrupt the communication between neurons. This is very dangerous and can cause brain damage, or in extreme cases death.
This means that the force transmitted through to the head when a punch hits the face causes different types of injuries:
- Injury to the hands/wrists gets broken bones and torn ligaments which heal by themselves after about six weeks.
- Injury to the brain causes brain damage which can be permanent and is much more dangerous than a broken wrist or finger.
So, although it is true that wearing gloves does not lessen the hit to the head when it is punched, they do decrease the chance of fracturing bones in hands and wrists and tearing ligaments in hands/wrists.
Why Bare-Knuckle Fighting May Be Safer Than Boxing?
Bare-knuckle fighting decreases the chance of brain damage because it does not allow boxers to hit as hard. In bare-knuckle fighting, the boxer must ensure that he does not break his hands or tear a ligament in his hand or wrist. If he strikes with too much force, then he may not be able to continue the fight. This means that a person who chooses bare-knuckle fighting must pick his punches carefully and aim for softer targets such as the stomach, kidneys, and shoulders because the hands are unprotected.
People often ask: Why do boxers wear gloves if they cause brain damage? The answer is that they do not cause brain damage. Boxing gloves decrease the chance of fracturing bones in hands and tearing ligaments in fingers, but it does not lessen the force transmitted through to the head when a person is hit in the face.
Is boxing without gloves better?
No. Without gloves, boxers would break their hands very easily. Then the fight would be lost because boxers would stop boxing and go home to heal their broken hands.
What about bare knuckle fighting?
Without gloves, boxers are more likely to break their hands or tear ligaments in their fingers. This would stop boxing immediately because they would not be able to continue the fight.
However, in bare-knuckle fighting, a boxer must pick his punches carefully and aim for softer targets such as the stomach, kidneys, and shoulders because the hands are unprotected. Therefore, they can cause less brain damage if they choose their targets correctly.
Without gloves, boxers cannot hit as hard. This means that boxers are more likely to tire quickly because their punches won’t be as strong without gloves on.
Conclusion
So although it is true that boxing with gloves doesn’t lessen knockout, bare-knuckle fighting decreases the chance of brain damage but makes it more likely for a boxer to break his hands or tear ligaments in his hands.
This means that both boxing with gloves and boxing without gloves can cause damage, but one is brain damage to the opponent while the other is own hand bones fracture. With wearing gloves, the risk of bones fracture is lower.
