THE Women’s Boxing World Championships kicked off with a bang as nations engaged in a fierce debate over the potential removal of headguards.
This year will see the major amateur tournament return to Serbia, where the International Boxing Association (IBA) hopes to deliver an occasion filled with memorable moments.
The first of which arrived just yesterday, with a very significant question – should headguards be removed from women’s amateur boxing? – being put to a room full of coaches.
Initially, it appeared as though this was just an attempt to provoke some general discussion, with the question, at first, inspiring little more than friendly chit-chat between nations.
But then, the atmosphere swiftly became far more prickly, with several trainers expressing their support or concern over the possible change.
World bronze medallist and IBA director Kristy Harris got the ball rolling, arguing that headguards do little to mitigate the risk of concussions, fractures and cuts.
In fact, she suggested that the extra layer of protection gives fighters a false sense of security, increasing the likelihood of their heads coming in close and rubbing together.
With every point backed up by research, she then proposed to remove headguards for the finals of this year’s competition, much to the dismay of several coaches.
“It may have been spoken about, but there was nothing passed onto the Australian federation about that,” said a trainer from the newly-formed Australian National Amateur Boxing Association (ANABA).
While he was taken aback by the question, the coach nonetheless supported Harris’ proposal, more so seeing it as a change that could occur further down the line.
This is because, already, fighters competing at the Elite Boxing Championships in Australia are given a choice as to whether or not they wear headguards.
“If a male or female fighter wants to put the head gear on, by all means, they can wear it,” the Aussie coach added. “If they don’t want to, then they don’t have to. But they must wear 16oz gloves. This prepares them for when they enter the pro ranks.
“It’s a big ask to remove headguards for the final of this event [The World Championships]. I think people do need to prepare for it, so it’s probably not something you could do on the spot.”
Among the support from various coaches, however, there were also several dissenting voices that could be heard.
“I genuinely believe, and know from talking to parents, that we could lose female boxers at a younger age [if headguards were removed],” an Irish coach said.
“A lot of the girls at my gym have said that they wouldn’t box without headguards.”
Sure enough, a question that would directly affect the fighters should be presented to – guess who? – the fighters themselves.
But still, while it is a change that cannot happen overnight, IBA CEO Chris Roberts firmly believes that headguards for female amateur boxers will be removed in the next 12 months or so.
“The safety of the boxer comes first, but it’s about what we can do to bring [women’s boxing] closer together with the males,” he said.
“We want this crossover with our professional series, and we’re only trying to introduce this change at elite level.
“Let’s give it a bit more time; let’s see how this championship goes; let’s get some feedback from the women here as well.
“We’ll have a look over these next six months, but I’m quietly confident that, in a year’s time, we’ll see headguards off [for women].”
In the end, it was decided that headguards will stay on for this year’s World Championships, with the preliminary bouts of which kicking off later today.
At the same time, though, there was a feeling that IBA will continue to push for this change, with Harris, in particular, expressing an undeniable sense of passion when presenting her case.
Ultimately, the bottom line of her argument is that if men do not have to wear headguards, then why should women?
