On Saturday night, I was quickly reminded of Leavander Johnson and how he gave up his life just one year ago in Las Vegas after a match which Johnson took an extraordinary amount of punishment, but refused to quit.
I couldn't help but feel disheartened at how Victor Burgos left the ring.
Uneasy with the effects of unrelenting punishment for 12 rounds. Sad at the fact that nobody, not the ref, not the ringside doctors, not Burgos' corner and certainly not his opponent noticed what most of us saw that night - that towards the later rounds, Burgos was not there. As they say, hindsight is 20/20, but when you are supervising a potentially life threatening event, your senses and level of review should be at its absolute highest. Burgos is a champion fighter and his heart never said stop, even though his body was incapable of continuing.
It made me feel sick to cheer on such an event. Since most of us dont really know who, what or how boxing is regulated, I thought to point our readers to both the Muhammed Ali Safety Act and the Professional Boxing Safety Act. While boxing is not as main stream as it once was, both these Federal Laws are inadequate, insufficient and inappropriate. Have a look and stay tuned for an in-depth look at a potential model for a nationwide commission on boxing.
