-a medical faux pas?
At the age of 54, boxing legend Mike Tyson will make his comeback in the ring. Boxing fans are looking forward to his duel with Roy Jones Jr., but are the health risks associated with the bout too great?
The following written content by Julia Dorny via DW
At the age of 54, boxing legend Mike Tyson will make his comeback in the ring. Boxing fans are looking forward to his duel with Roy Jones Jr., but are the health risks associated with the bout too great?
“On November 28, it will be brutal,” Mike Tyson writes on Instagram. “In life I may lose sometimes, but I will not lose in the ring that day!”
The former heavyweight world champion will compete against Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles on Saturday — an exhibition fight between two boxing icons and the double comeback of the year. “Iron Mike” is 54 years old, his opponent, who was world champion in five weight classes from middle to heavyweight, is only three years his junior. Tyson’s last professional fight was 15 years ago when he lost to Irishman Kevin McBride by technical knockout after six rounds. Following this bitter defeat, he announced his resignation.
Jones, on the other hand, fought for the last time in 2018. Against the Canadian Scott Sigmon, he achieved a unanimous points victory. Jones is well aware that he could have more problems in the upcoming fight of the two over-50 boxers than he did then. On the podcast of comedian and ring moderator Joe Rogan, he admitted: “If you get hit by Mike Tyson, anything can happen! He’s no ordinary puncher!”
However, the organizers have done a lot to mitigate the health and injury risks: The show fight, which is also intended to raise money for charity, is scheduled to last eight rounds instead of twelve, with a round time of two minutes instead of three. The boxing is done with more padded gloves than usual, and the referee can stop the fight at any time if he thinks it is getting too rough:
Slower reflexes, slower recovery
However, boxers run a health risk when they enter the ring at an advanced age: “If boxers don’t get their act together, serious damage can occur,” sports physician Walter Wagner tells DW. The 69-year-old is Germany’s most famous ring doctor and has examined and treated countless boxers in his long career. “I didn’t give a license to one of them at 40,” says Wagner.
Young fighters recover more quickly from punches, explains Wagner. This applies to joints, muscles and the brain. “With age, these things decrease continuously. The reflexes and reactions slow down, even if unnoticed.” The ability to suffer for the blows also decreases, he explains and therefore has a clear opinion regarding the “Frontline Battle”: “From a medical point of view, the comeback of Tyson against Jones should be cancelled. Read more from DW.
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