Fighters' brains damaged long before symptoms emerge, study hints

He is already nearly 50 and sounds the same as he did in the 90s. I think Evander is one of those guys who are genetically "blessed". See Foreman and Texx Cob for example, both took incredible punishment, Foreman even in his late 40s and both are today still fresh. Texx graduated from college after his Boxing career.

 

Yeah, you might be right. Holyfield does slur his words a lot and is no doubt damaged, but time will tell. Chuvalo was another that seemed to have the ability somehow to not get punchy and Like Forman speaks well.

 

Lamotta did quite well for a guy who is known as having one the greatest chins of all time. Maybe they should test these guys as well to see why they have not suffered brain damage. It's quite evident just by watching boxing as an arm chair fan that some guys are just built differently to take this type of punishment.

 

Only after he was medically cleared and took time off...he did.:deal

Not the point anyways...

 

No he does not, he sounds very much different, a lot more muffled and such...

I hope to god im wrong because im a huge fan of holy, but him nearly losing to the likes of sherman the tank williams is not on, he should of been forcably retired years ago...

 

I worry about guys like Shane Mosley the most who have great chins, but take a lot of punches and fight a lot of 12 round fights. Lot of accumulated damage.

 

Holyfield does not sound great, although its not scary yet like how Toney has regressed in the last few years.

Foreman and Cobb are great examples of people that took a lot of punches and sound fine.
Duran for what i hear is another good example.

Hopkins also still sounds exactly the same as he did over a decade ago.
But yeah you never know with a active fighter how they will sound a few years down the road.

I hope this testing gets through and more fighters will take advantage of it.
Breaks my heart seeing a once great fighter or any fighter for that matter reduced to a shell of himself.

 

There was a fighter in "After the Last Round" who had bleeding on the brain, and went on to continue to fight .

 

I desperately wanna get that movie...

 

Same here, i am searching the web for over a year now and still couldnt find that movie :?

 

this isn't new.

 

Nasty stuff, but a little perspective:

It's far more dangerous to work in a coal mine, or an asbestos factory, or a place that makes PVC pipe, or ANY fricking factory in China or Thailand. It's probably more dangerous to be a soldier. (including exposure to deadly chemicals & agents.)
It's also pretty dangerous to play in the NFL.

Some occupations are just plain hazardous.

 

Because of this kind of brain damage and other negative health effects,no one should complain about "early stoppages." We shouldn't want these guys to be hit into unconsciousness. The Ref's must step in and stop these things before they get out of hand.
On the other side of this issue,I just wanna say that these studies change every year and that these doctors and scientists have never fought before. Football is just as dangerous. Actually every sport is very dangerous including baseball.

Larry Holmes and George Foreman are fine by the way and they fought very long careers. This Parkinsons stuff must be genetic.
That one study a few yars ago ( I forget which one) said that Ali would have gotten Parkinsons even without ever fighting. I dont know and niether do these doctors.

 

A national commission and highly trained refs would help.

 

Larry holmes and george foreman also had very brief amateur careers. We need to take into account of the amateur experience as well even though there's head gear. And remember back then amateurs had no head gear. I once most of the punishment fighters suffer is in training and rounds of sparring. I don't like the idea of fighters getting hurt but I don't feel as bad as others because they are able to do something most would love to do. Not be fighters but doing something they love. How many people in this world can actually say they are in a line of work they love and are passionate about. These fighters may pay a price for it but they get to say they do something for a living they love.