March 1, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
Today (Saturday) we see the WBA minimumweight (105-pound) title bout between defending champ Yutaka Niida of Japan and Venezuelan challenger Jose Luis Varela in Tokyo, Japan. Eight-ounce Reyes gloves will be used due to the champ Niida’s preference, with which Varela party agreed. Niida earnestly wishes to use as small gloves as possible with the same eight-ounce weight.
Problem is the size of the gloves used for the 105-pound category. The world organizations of the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO make it a rule to have the 8-ounce gloves used even in the division under the super-flyweight (115-pound) divisions. Previously 6-ounce gloves were used in the 115, 112, 108 and 105-pound classes.
After a ring accident occurred in an IBF 115-pound title bout of Robert Quiroga and Kid Akeem in San Antonio in 1991, a governing body amended the rule to have 8-ounce gloves used even in the smallest four divisions, which was eventually followed by all other organizations. Thus it became an international standard.
The 8-ounce gloves, of course bigger than the 6-ounce ones, are as big as the faces of 105-pound boxers. Should a minimumweight boxer cover himself up with 8-ounce gloves, it looks like his face is hidden by two balloons and there is no place for his opponent to hit the face.
In Japan or in any other parts of the world, the 105-pound competitions are becoming less and less popular because of a lack of thrill and impact. Some statistician researched data in terms of “knockout ratio” in the 105-pound title bouts, which says the KO ratio apparently declined since 1991, or since the 8-ounce gloves began to be used for the 105-pound competitions.
In the previous WBA convention here in Tokyo in 2006, this matter was seriously discussed in a subcommittee as Hitoshi Watanabe, a representative the medical committee of the Japan Pro Boxing Association (JPBA), strongly appealed the necessity of 6-ounce gloves to be used in the lowest four classes with this reporter serving as interpreter. Impressed by the hot and meaningful discussions, the PABA (Pan Asian Boxing Association) decided to experimentally adopt the usage of the 6-ounce gloves below and including the super-flyweight division from the beginning of 2007, and it is reported to have met a success in reviving excitement among the crowd in the small-class PABA title bouts.
Boxing must consider a couple of factors: (1) safety and (2) entertainment. It is commonly believed that the bigger the gloves are, the safer boxing becomes. But is it really scientifically true? People buy tickets and enter arenas to expect entertainment and excitement, which is, in a sense, to see a knockout, TKO or stoppage. Bigger gloves, however, seem to decrease a possibility of knockdowns or knockouts, which the very audience look forward to watching.
Should smaller gloves produces more impact or damage to boxers, the referee will be able to stop a fight earlier to save a groggy loser from further punishment. It may lead to elevating the safety. If a loser withstands softened punishment by bigger gloves until the end of the fight, it may give him more damage than the referee stops it midway in the bout.
The reason why the amendment of the rules and regulations on the usage of the 6-ounce gloves instead of the 8-ounce ones was so easily taken was simply that there had been very few smaller boxers under the 115-pound classes in the countries of voters except in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Majority of the voters might not then seriously care about the future effect on boxing by the size of the gloves in the smallest four divisions, so they might simply put more importance to “superficial” safety rather than entertainment.
Now that other martial arts such as UFC, K-1 etc. are zooming up rapidly by showing brutal excitement, boxing is relatively declining and losing customers here. Promoters, managers and trainers in club fights are desperately struggling to survive. Of course, safety must be the most important factor for boxing to survive in our society that ideally longs for peace. But without selling tickets and gathering the crowd, promoters won’t be able to pay to boxers and managers/trainers. In this regard, we have to respect and leave the minimum amount of excitement in boxing.
This reporter recommends that the 6-ounce gloves will be used again at first in the 105-pound category and we will scientifically collect data with respect to the safety with respect to the smaller gloves used. And then, the 6-ounce gloves will be permitted up to the 115-pound or 112-pound division in the future, hopefully. Important is to keep the balance between safety and entertainment. Our boxing industry, even in the smallest classes, must survive.