Amidst the building furore over a possible Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao fight next year, the death of this young man almost went unnoticed in the boxing world.
Francisco Rodriguez, competing for the vacant United States Boxing Association (USBA) super bantamweight title, lost a 10-round bout to Teon Kennedy on November 20, 2009. Foxsports reported that Rodriguez collapsed after the match and was rushed to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. He died from his injuries on Sunday.
Rodriguez turned pro in 2005, after failing to make the US National boxing team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In a profile by Julie Borcherts at the time Rodriguez made his decision, his conditioning was noted to be excellent, which would be useful as 'with the absence of protective head gear, the punches are harder and it's crucial to remain alert and invigorated for longer periods of time.'
Rodriguez went out for the tenth round, despite appearing exhausted and limp, but the promoter J. Russel Peltz, told the Philadelphia Daily News, 'his arms were hanging by his sides after every round.'
Rodriguez's Death Follows Benjamin Flores in May 2009
Benjamin Flores, a 24-year old boxer, died five days after sustaining injuries in an eight round bout. Laurence Cole, the referee, stopped the fight when he noticed Flores was not fighting back. In a report by Sean Reed on The Source for Boxing Online, he stated that 'my initial thought was that Cole had intervened a bit prematurely, given there were no knockdowns.'
This last statement, posted on a site knowledgeable about boxing, proves the continued ignorance about brain damage and injury from repeated blows to the head.
These are two recorded deaths in the ring in the United States this year. According to the Journal of Combative Sport, there have been 68 deaths attributed to boxing since 2000.
Brain Damage the Real Impact of Boxing
Dementia pugilistica, also described as pugilistic parkinsonism is described as a syndrome caused by cumulative cerebral injuries and characterized by impaired cognitive processes (memory, problem solving, speech.)
In February of 2009, Oscar Diaz was released from hospital seven months after going into a coma after a televised fight. His neurosurgeon told the San Antonio Express News that Diaz can sit up in a chair, respond to commands and smiles when someone tells a joke.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) reports that the force of a professional boxer's fist is equivalent to being hit with a 13lb bowling ball travelling at 20mph. Statistically, the AANS says 15-40% of boxers have symptoms of chronic brain injury.
In the past, medical organizations around the world including the American Medical Association as well as the American Academy of Neurology have called for the abolition of boxing.
How to Make Boxing Safer
A number of initiatives have been implemented in various jurisdictions such as a fighter being banned from boxing after six knockouts. Some state commissions require annual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor changes in the brain.
Mitch Abramson, November 21, 2009, NY Daily News, "Why don't trainers stop fights to protect boxers like Miguel Cotto? Dough!", quoted former New York State Athletic Chairman, Ron Scott Stevens, as saying that, ' the whole situation would be made better if trainers were licensed for the appropriate skills they possess.'
Trainers are paid out of the fighters winnings. They usually have no written contract with the fighter and no agreement with state commissions to fall back on. In effect, they are at the mercy of the fighter who has the final say in whether or not to continue the fight.
Abramson, referring to Manny Pacquiao's recent drubbing of Miguel Cotto, said that, 'In such a situation, the trainer should have been there to do what the referee did not: protect the fighter. In a sport that physically assaults its athletes, that trainers don't have more authority is a crime.'
Whatever is put in place in the future, it is too late for Francisco Rodriguez.
Lorah Delaney - Lorah is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a degree in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia and a ...
