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For Nerds, Geeks, Fight Fans & Lovers

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Norway and Pro boxing


And by extention MMA/MA at a pro level

A little history; Norway banned pro boxing in 1981 after politicians figured it would cause harm to the audience and that they were against people making money on people damaging each other. The other argument they used and still use is all the deaths and head trauma cases.

And now there's some movements to lift the 1981 ban. While no one thinks it's going happen tomorrow the idea is now percolating. The money making and the audience harm has been dropped as a focus but the head trauma/death part is still in focus.

We as a nation do have pro boxers that did well and new ones that do well today. The sad part is they can as it stand never perform their sport on Norwegian soil. Names like Steffen Tangstad, Ole "Lukkøye" (shut eye) Klementsen, Arild Haugen, Camilla Brækhus to name a few.

Now for injuries in the sport.

And in here there will be some of my own personal opinions and thoughts, coupled with pure common sense.

Yes every time you decide to enter a fight there is risk of injury. A fight is by definition a possible way to incur injury of any sort and yes of death if handled by the wrong people with the wrong set of knowledge.

But I firmly believe that a lot of the really serious injuries and deaths has been caused by in large by the fight event holders and their doctors. I believe that most of them were caused by incompetence within those events.

The one thing within pro boxing I do however react to is the 8 count, especially when used more than twice. If a fighter has been dazed to the point of need that 8 count more than 2 times that fighter is in my opinion close to suffer a concussion, internal bleeds (both in the body and brain) and brain damage.

But injury and/or death occur in sports fully legal in Norway, like;


  • Football (that's soccer for you Americans)
  • Skating
  • Racing(There have been deaths and bad injuries)
  • Snowboarding
  • Sky diving
  • Just to name some.

    Any sport can injure you to varying degree.

    Injury is NOT a valid argument for banning a sport or a from of a sport.

    The thing needed is to lift the ban on pro boxing and demand the event holders know what they're doing and do away with multiple 8 counts. And keep with the worldwide suspension when a fighter has been knocked out. To keep them from fighting too soon.

    AND while we're at it make ALL martial arts legal at a pro level.

    This is also a plea to get such things as the UFC to Norway.

    And there they put fighters safety first!