One was that the head guards created a bigger target for boxers, who in turn attempted more head blows. “It keeps your head moving.”Nolito Velasco, the coach of the Olympic boxing team from the Philippines, said the removal of head guards encouraged more wide-open fights. In the world championship tournaments overseen by the association from 2009 to 2013, the number of times a fight was stopped because of one boxer receiving repeated head blows fell 43 percent in bouts without head guards compared with fights with head guards. Advertisement Continue reading the main storySeveral studies, including one commissioned by the association, found that the number of acute brain injuries declined when head guards were not used. Though clumsy-looking, the guards did prevent lacerations, particularly those around the scalp and forehead that resulted from head butts.

Source: New York Times August 06, 2016 20:33 UTC