Posted: Monday 20 February 2012
Olympic Countdown - No. 6 Boxing
The Ancient Olympic Games
Whilst there are few sports which divide opinion as much as boxing does, it remains one of the more popular Olympic events.
Introduced at the 23rd Olympiad (Ancient Olympic Games) in 688 BC, boxing matches were contested without roped rings or time limits. As with modern day rules, boxers were prohibited from wrestling or holding although one noticeable difference was that they were entitled to continue to strike an opponent who had fallen to the ground.
The sport was also popular in Ancient Rome where thousands of spectators would gather in amphitheatres to watch bouts. These were notoriously bloody affairs as the fighters, who would wrap their fists in studded leather straps, were often expected to fight until death.
Broughton’s rules
The sport eventually reached our shores in the 17th century in the form of bare-knuckle boxing or “prizefighting” as it was also known.
However, it was not until the mid 18th century that an official set of rules were introduced for the sport by heavyweight champion Jack Broughton. These rules included a prohibition on punching a fighter who was on the ground and a further rule that if a fighter knocked to the ground could not continue after 30 seconds, the fight was declared over. Interestingly, Broughton is also credited as being the inventor of the first boxing gloves called “muffles”.
A century later, Broughton’s rules were replaced by the London Prize Fighting Rules which laid the foundations of the modern day sport of boxing before the introduction of The Marquess of Queensberry rules in 1867. The “Queensberry rules” still govern the sport of boxing today.
Boxing at the modern day Olympics
Since 1904, boxing has been an event at every Olympic Games except for the 1912 Olympics in Sweden where the sport was banned at the time.
Whilst there are plans by the International Boxing Association to allow professionals to compete in future Olympic Games, at present the sport of Olympic boxing remains amateur.
The London Olympics will feature 10 men’s weight categories from light flyweight (46-49 kg) up to super heavyweight (over 91 kg). In addition for the first time women’s boxing will feature as a full Olympic medal event with three weight categories, namely flyweight, lightweight and middleweight.
Men’s will bouts take place over three three-minute rounds with women’s bouts being fought over four rounds of two minutes each. Competitors must wear protective headgear and points are scored for every punch landed on an opponents head or upper body.
Many of the sports biggest names have graced the Olympic stage over the years including Cassius Clay (later to become Muhammed Ali) in 1960, George Foreman in 1968, Oscar De La Hoya in 1992 and our very own Lennox Lewis in 1984 and 1988 (albeit representing Canada).
Liability for injuries
Whilst boxing is a legitimate sport where the objective is to cause physical harm to your opponent, the decision of the Court of Appeal in Watson v British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) confirmed that, in certain circumstances, the liability for injuries sustained in the ring could rest with the governing body who has responsibility for the safety of competitors.
On 21 September 1991, Michael Watson fought Chris Eubank for the WBO super middleweight title at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane ground. Towards the end of round 11 of the fight, Watson was caught with an uppercut and knocked to the ground, hitting his head on the ropes in the process. Although the fighters came out for the 12th and final round, the contest was stopped within 30 seconds with Watson visibly suffering the effects from the previous round’s knockdown.
Shortly after the end of the fight, Watson collapsed in the ring. Seven minutes then passed before Watson was examined by a doctor and by the time he was taken to North Middlesex Hospital, half an hour had elapsed. As the North Middlesex Hospital didn’t have a neurosurgical department, Watson had to then be transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Unfortunately by this time he had suffered serious brain damage leaving him paralysed down his left side with other physical and mental disability.
Watson successfully argued that the BBBC had breached their duty of care to ensure that all reasonable steps were taken so that he received immediate and effective medical attention and treatment at ringside. Had he received this treatment, Watson argued that he would not have sustained permanent brain damage.
The court’s decision in the Watson case is a timely reminder that liability for injuries sustained during sporting competition is far from straightforward. If you wish to find out more about this area of law, please follow the link below to access our article entitled “Liability for sporting injuries sustained on the field of play – what’s the score?”.
