Boxing and brain damage.

[Taeth]

I think heavy sparring is what got Gerald McClellan hurt, he was a notorious gym rat and sparred near 100% and I think he may have been not 100% when he started the fight with Benn much less after repeated blows to the back of the head.



I don't know about you guys but I think bigger gloves make for more brain damage (to a certain point) because no one worries about breaking their hands ergo you throw harder because you're not thinking "if I land this punch wrong it's going to hurt really bad" (as much).

Getting hit in the back of the head probably what caused, normally when you get punched its the cerebellum part of the brain that hits the skull because its in the back of the head, and the brain moves backwards when your punched. The cerebellum control your motor skills, balance ,etc. When you get hit in the back of the head the way McCellan was the front of his brain was contacting the skull, and the reason that is so dangerous is because in front of the brain is what is known as the cerebral cortex or the thought process part of the brain, and if that gets too badly damage all higher level though process is either reduced or destroyed, which makes you basically a vegetable.

Also to people like Boom Boom, you can't compare the damage a cell phone does to the damage boxing does. Cell phones don't emit that much radiation compared % of the things that are around us, they can increase your chances of getting cancer, but on a minimal scale. How many people who have been using cell phones for 20 years have alzheimers or parkinsons, how many people using cell phones have brain damage?

[Boom Boom]

I think heavy sparring is what got Gerald McClellan hurt, he was a notorious gym rat and sparred near 100% and I think he may have been not 100% when he started the fight with Benn much less after repeated blows to the back of the head.



I don't know about you guys but I think bigger gloves make for more brain damage (to a certain point) because no one worries about breaking their hands ergo you throw harder because you're not thinking "if I land this punch wrong it's going to hurt really bad" (as much).

Getting hit in the back of the head probably what caused, normally when you get punched its the cerebellum part of the brain that hits the skull because its in the back of the head, and the brain moves backwards when your punched. The cerebellum control your motor skills, balance ,etc. When you get hit in the back of the head the way McCellan was the front of his brain was contacting the skull, and the reason that is so dangerous is because in front of the brain is what is known as the cerebral cortex or the thought process part of the brain, and if that gets too badly damage all higher level though process is either reduced or destroyed, which makes you basically a vegetable.

Also to people like Boom Boom, you can't compare the damage a cell phone does to the damage boxing does. Cell phones don't emit that much radiation compared % of the things that are around us, they can increase your chances of getting cancer, but on a minimal scale. How many people who have been using cell phones for 20 years have alzheimers or parkinsons, how many people using cell phones have brain damage?

Maybe that wasnt the best example, but my point is there are risks in everything. I know more people that have been permenantely injured in a car accident than have brain damage. Im not downplaying the severity of it though, cause yes it is a real thing that does happen to some fighters.

[Taeth]

To some degree it happens to most fighters. Not always does it lead to severe problems, but IMO its not worth dumbing yourself down for anything... except maybe booze.

[holmcall]

To some degree it happens to most fighters. Not always does it lead to severe problems, but IMO its not worth dumbing yourself down for anything... except maybe booze.

The idea is to concuss another fighter without killing him. That's what it all boils down to. When you enter the ring, that risk presents itself immediately. When you do almost anything else, the risk is not there. Boxing and the MMA stuff increases the risk incredibly. It is what it is and the risk is part of the culture of boxing. If we cannot accept that, then boxing should be abolished. I accept it.

[nola]

To some degree it happens to most fighters. Not always does it lead to severe problems, but IMO its not worth dumbing yourself down for anything... except maybe booze.

So what I hear you saying is -
if you're killing brain cells via whiskey or tequila, then it's okay.
but if you're doing it for sport or money, then it's not?

Okay, I know I'm a new poster and you aren't, but what a crock!

Yes, the risks are serious and need to be considered, but to make a statement to that effect and follow it up with such a piece of fluff astounds me...

YMMV

[Bomp]

To some degree it happens to most fighters. Not always does it lead to severe problems, but IMO its not worth dumbing yourself down for anything... except maybe booze.

So what I hear you saying is -
if you're killing brain cells via whiskey or tequila, then it's okay.
but if you're doing it for sport or money, then it's not?

Okay, I know I'm a new poster and you aren't, but what a crock!

Yes, the risks are serious and need to be considered, but to make a statement to that effect and follow it up with such a piece of fluff astounds me...

YMMV

I think you missed that he was saying it with a touch of irony.

Trainer Monkey is spot on with Reyes, the whole point of a boxing glove is protection, and in reality they should only be manufactured by the regulators who should then strive to improve the technology when possible.

[El Kabong]

The main danger in getting hit in the back of the head is the brain stem is right there which is the control board for the central nervous system. The occipital lobe is also back there which is why G-Man is now blind from being hit in the back of the head.


Since the stem is where the brain is anchored it stands to reason the brain won't slosh around as much if you hit it from the back but it'll cause more damage as the back of the head is the most vulnerable part. The frontal lobe controls emotions and memory retention which is important but not as important as telling your heart to beat and your lungs to take in air which is what the brain stem does.