I feel compelled to address one last issue to recast some of the narratives that surround the wonderful sport of amateur boxing. All sports have risks; however, football's dangers have never been more in the spotlight, [and many] doctors are open-minded to the theory that it may be even more dangerous than boxing. "I would have to agree that boxing is a more controlled environment” Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, director of the nationally recognized Michigan NeuroSport program at the University of Michigan, told Yahoo! Sports. "It is an individual sport and you see what is in front of you. Medical personnel is right there at ringside and can stop a fight, you have one medical professional who has his eyes on the two fighters at all times. "In boxing the risk of concussion and head trauma is obviously very high but that is only one area of risk," Kutcher continued. "For sure, the rest of his body is going to prefer boxing to playing football, where the range and severity of the potential injuries is virtually without limit."

[Yes,] in boxing, both pro and amateur we have ringside doctors, a referee and official’s ringside at close quarters, emergency medical personnel and ambulances at close quarters, and state and national regulations [that govern the sport. In amateur boxing] this includes head-gear and 12oz gloves]. These safety protocols are part of [the] sport precautions which are standard procedure in boxing. These protocols are evidently better than football. While people can and do get hurt in full contact sports, awareness of the importance of safety is an important element. If injury can be prevented, it should be. State athletic commissions regulate boxing and that is a key difference. Safety procedures [are] enforced and reexamined by commissions.

“A 1996 National Safety Council accident report ranked amateur boxing 23rd on its list of injury-producing sports and rated it the safest of all contact sports…safer than football, wrestling, soccer, gymnastics and in-line skating.”  Boxing is 23rd on the list. But what does that really mean when talking in terms of the actual damage sustained in the amateur boxing world? 

Well, “Johns Hopkins studied over 500 active amateur boxers from six different cities, all of similar ages, social backgrounds, educational levels and lifestyle habits, comparing their neurological functions with those of non-boxers. To date, it is most thoroughly organized medical study on amateur boxing. Its findings were issued in 1994 and the results were conclusive. Although there was some indication of temporary memory loss immediately following bouts which dissipated shortly thereafter, the study found no clinically-significant evidence of permanent impairment of motor skills, loss of coordination or memory or slurred speech among the active amateur boxers. There was no measurable damage sustained to the neurological system found in the seven-year study.” A nine-year study by an Australian physical showed the same conclusive outcome. 

A local news channel right here in Hampton Roads Virginia, recently reported that many parents refuse to let their children play pee-wee football because of the dangers involved; however, while arguing that boxing is a dangerous sport, the main benefit [that this article] proposes is that this very same violent sport can prevent troubled kids from progressing in the wrong direction. Boxing requires a lot of discipline, patience, and respect for yourself as well as others. Punching others in the head, while being part of a boxing match, is not what kids are being trained to do. There is a great and humble benefit to boxing, but unfortunately it is quite invisible to people that have never been active participants of it. The self-esteem boost and the elevated confidence that kids get from training, is worth much more than even the physical benefit of the sport.