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There is an overwhelming problem that is sweeping boxing and affecting its participants on an almost daily basis. This is a dangerous problem and everyone with a stake in boxing on any level should assess this current dilemma and try to come up with a viable solution on their own if at all possible. The issue to which I am referring to is the constant slipping and sliding of fighters on the painted emblems and writing that is sprawled on any and every canvas in the sport as we know it. Now on many of the canvases this isn’t a problem, yet lately it has become an issue of great concern that keeps popping up as soon as everyone tends to forget about it. I have seen time and time again a fight where a fighter has slipped repeatedly on these emblems and often at times where he was at the receiving end of a devastating punch. Not only does such a predicament prove unlucky for the boxer whose shoes may have just the right (or wrong in this case) soles that interact in a difficult way with the slick canvas, but when something like this does happen there is also the likelihood of more severe consequences due to unsafe working conditions for the fighters themselves.
Of course it is common knowledge that boxing is a highly dangerous sport for its competitors and a punch can just as easily end a career as a slip. But the point here is that boxers already know the odds when they step into the ring, and when you add another element of danger or surprise it only lessens the odds of their safety and effectiveness in the ring. It is also up to the officials (namely the referee governing the bout where this occurs) to keep a watchful eye on what’s going on in the ring so that they can decide if a particular spot is of question and needs to be addressed. This is sometimes much easier said than done however in most cases.
I’ve racked my brain on suitable solutions to this problem seeing as I’m a huge boxing fan and enjoy the sport and its fighters so much that if I can help its cause in any way, no matter how minor, then I feel like I’ve done the right thing at the end of the day. Maybe if the right person read this, who knows? Then again money doesn’t grow on trees and wishes follow suit.
I mentioned money because to make the proper changes to any canvas is going to cost bucks. That’s not to say that the funding doesn’t exist out there because it does. It’s just a matter of who is willing to spend that money and opt for the Lexus instead of the BMW, or the trip to Barbados instead of Milan. Once again such a proposal is easier said than done. A pattern seems to be growing here.
The idea of having emblems and writing on canvases embroidered crossed my mind as opposed to the paint. Then I thought of the man hours it would take to do something like that and saw it as too much of a burden. Then I thought of how graphics and artwork are put onto clothing and t-shirts. This seemed like a better solution at any rate. I don’t know what happens to canvases once they are “retired” so to speak, but I know that if someone, anyone can come up with a safer alternative, then the people who count the most (the fighters) would be grateful. |
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Jason Petock (October 13, 2005)
