Really sorry to hear that you're suffering from PCS, scary stuff. You've competed as an amateur, correct?
On the professional level, I think that there needs to be more onus placed on commissions and orgs to protect fighters. It's criminal that athletes with long and gruelling careers are still being sanctioned to pro fights well into their 40s. RJJ fought this year at age 48. Shane Mosley fought last year, and its plain to see in interviews the toll the sport has taken on him.
I hope that you're right about people wisening up in the coming years, but I'm not sure. If Ali didn't drive the point home, I'm not sure what legend can. There needs to be responsibility assumed from the top down to inform athletes and fans about dangers, and to prevent irresponsible matchmaking. Tough to do, since its the ugliest part of combat sports, and not something promoters tend to want to draw attention to. I've spent a decent amount of time around boxing gyms, and its always been a little unnerving how much people seem to try and shake off minor concussions. On the next level, there are the gyms that seem to promote regular wars (that mayweather dog house video comes to mind). I doubt people would take such risks in sparring if there was more information disseminated from the upper echelons of the sport.
Very insightful comment. It's "funny" that you should mention the infamous doghouse video because I've been ragging on that for quite some time now. It's the epitome of stupidity.
In boxing gyms many places it's ridiculous how they treat head injuries and sparring sometimes. Part of it is the fighters obviously, who don't want to look weak and think they are invulnerable (don't we all as teens and young men). I can relate to that, and obviously you want them to not break and keep fighting, but the ultimately it's the coaches responsibility to reel that shit in. The guys who gets perma damaged are swept under the rug, or they simply just ignore or refuse to examine how it got to that point. The worst are the guys in the gym who are basicly punching bags and never amount to anything or get anywhere, besides CTE and a rough life later on. The guys you never hear about.
It sounds paradoxical enjoying fighting as much as some of us do, yet at the same time being very aware of brain damage and not wanting anyone to experience PCS and the like. It is afterall the nature of the game to hurt the opponent with shots to the head. Ultimately, there will be damage and that's how it is. At the same time, people in the fight world has to wise up and at least call a spade a spade. Man up and confront the problem instead of acting like it doesn't exist.
Control the sparring, teach the kids proper defense and positioning, build them up slowly, educate on brain health, have PROPER concussion protocols in place, don't let guys hurt others needlessly in the gym, especially those not at their level. This should be the minimum.
Oh and yeah, I fought a few times as an amateur in both boxing and MT, and I have trained MMA for some years now as well with good fighters. And yes, PCS sucks, but at the same time there are people out there who have it a lot worse than me. Maybe it has saved me from worse damage down the road, as my style was not very defensively sound.
I still have a few good years left athletically, I'm 29, so now I just practice and try to hone my craft. No sparring, which is a shame because I've gotten so much better, but it is what it is.
