While I understand those unfamiliar with our sport would cite safety concerns, the following should be taken into consideration:
Amateur boxing, unlike MMA, has a governing body (USA Boxing). This governing body is tasked with ensuring the safety of athletes through procedural physical checks and routine pre- and post-bout examinations.
Children and youth involved in amateur boxing often come from troubled backgrounds. The sport is our sanctuary. Competition motivates kids to stay in the gym. Taking this away would turn kids back to the streets.
Junior and youth bouts are statistically safer than any other contact sport. The image of bloody boxing matches is embedded through our minds from watching pros fight 12 rounds at 3 minutes a piece with no protective head gear, and tiny 8-ounce gloves. Junior bouts are 3 rounds at 90 seconds a piece, matched with boxers of equal or similar experience level.
This is a regulatory issue that should be isolated to MMA, a relatively new sport which is understandably experiencing organizational growth issues. We don't need to talk about how long boxing has been around, but we can point out that the issues MMA is looking to address are already being regulated through USA Boxing.
