An estimated 40,000 boxing fans watched Oleksandr Usyk defeat Tyson Fury at Kingdom Hall in Riyadh earlier this month.

Millions tuned in to legal and illegal broadcast channels around the world to watch Usyk defend his title against Fury in a captivating contest that reportedly netted the boxers a total prize money of $191 million.

Earlier this year, an estimated 60 million households watched the bout between aging boxing legend Mike Tyson and popular YouTube fighter Jake Paul. This was in addition to the 72,000 people inside the arena in Texas, who together paid a whopping $18.1 million to watch the fight in person, according to promoters.

Boxing: It’s the knockout

In 2024, an extraordinary number of eyeballs, online search queries and audience figures across viewing platforms have confirmed boxing’s status as one of the most popular and followed sports in the world.

But given the brutal nature of boxing, should it be considered a sport?

While other sports work hard to increase protection for participants, especially from concussion-related injuries, boxing promotes just the opposite: causing as much harm to your opponent as possible, leading to a submission or knockout as a possible outcome, and it’s all intentional. Celebrated and praised with fame and financial rewards.

“Compared to other contact sports, boxing is known to have some of the highest concussion rates,” Dr. Ijaz Shamim, a neurosurgeon and head of the Mid-Atlantic Kaiser Permanente Research Institute, told Al Jazeera.

“A concussion occurs when the brain moves back and forth hitting the inside of the skull. This causes brain damage and occurs every time a boxer takes a hit to the head. Every concussive event is similar to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). With every TBI, there is brain damage that does not There is no return to it.

“It is believed that in boxing, an individual receives a concussion every 12.5 minutes of fighting time alone. Protective headgear does not help much with concussion. Internal trauma to the brain occurs every time a boxer is punched in the head, with or without external protection of the head.

According to the Manuel Velasquez Collection, which documents deaths in boxing, an average of 13 boxers are killed in the ring each year. Separate research by the Ringside Doctors’ Association said there were at least 339 deaths from 1950 to 2007, with a “higher proportion in lower weight groups”.

The surreal sight of 58-year-old Tyson returning to the ring has delighted his millions of fans. But should the popularity, fame and revenue that this sport brings in exempt it from risks and threats? Which one is superior to the other?

Sports journalist Philip O’Connor said: “People may come to boxing to vent their anger and frustration, but they soon realize that these things have little place in the training hall or the ring.”

“Very few have what it takes to get into the ring to compete with another human being using a limited set of rules where the goal is to knock your opponent unconscious or at least hurt them more than they hurt you.

“After a lifetime of watching boxing and various martial arts and practicing more than my fair share, I can say that in my view, the mental and physical benefits far outweigh the risks, but we must always strive to improve safety and eliminate or minimize risks. To the maximum extent maybe.”

There is nothing amateurish about boxing injuries

Studies show that up to 20 percent of boxers will suffer a concussion during their career, although many go unreported, especially in amateur boxing.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where boxing is classified as an amateur sport, boxing witnessed the largest number of injuries, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM). At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, she placed second after BMX. Overall, it ranks fifth on the list of Olympic sports with the highest injury rates.

The American Society of Neurological Surgeons says that 90 percent of boxers sustain a traumatic brain injury during their career. Alzheimer’s disease research and treatment reports that former boxers are still more susceptible to normal brain aging and brain diseases.

While the World Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation did not respond to Al Jazeera’s questions about the brutality and safety aspects of the sport, the International Olympic Committee said “to provide athletes and spectators with the best and most up-to-date games.” Safer conditions are the highest priorities of the IOC and the entire Olympic Movement,” he said, adding that “Olympic-style boxing has no knockout target, nor does a knockout have any scoring advantage.”

A spokesman for the International Boxing Federation had previously stated that “boxing benefits many young people, keeping them off the streets, away from drugs, teaching them discipline, self-confidence, and that the good far outweighs the evil.”

Popularity of boxing

Given the history of the sport, the number of participants worldwide and the money available, it is unlikely that boxing will cease to exist as a sport.

In the United States alone, the number of participants in boxing reached about 6.7 million people in 2021, according to market research company Statista, which added that the size of the global boxing equipment industry market reached more than $1.6 billion in the same year.

The World Boxing Council’s (WBC) total revenue from 2011 to 2020 was more than $32 million.

Forbes reported that professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned $275 million from his fight against Conor McGregor, turned MMA boxer, in 2017, with the latter taking in about $100 million in the biggest single payout in the history of the sport.

“In terms of global media popularity, boxing in 2024 is the fifth most popular sport in the world and the most popular combat sport,” said Camilla Swart-Aries, associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

“It has attracted legendary figures who have transcended their sport to become global cultural icons. Many boxers achieve global fame. Beyond icons and role models, boxing also has low barriers to entry, is easily accessible and promotes community building as boxing gyms become an integral part of communities.” Where young people can unleash their energy and practice sports as an alternative to social ills.

The way forward

So, instead of banning boxing, could increased safety protocols, stricter regulations and bans on certain practices ensure the sport becomes safer?

“Major safety improvements have been made in boxing over the years to enhance fighter protection and reduce the risk of serious injury. Swart-Aries added: “While the nature of the sport makes it extremely dangerous, these developments aim to create a safer environment for fighters, reducing Possibility of serious injuries and deaths.”

“I don’t think so [boxing] It should be abandoned because there are many other sports that are also considered dangerous. All of these sports will continue to generate interest and global appeal and therefore will not be abandoned, so it is important that they constantly make improvements to make them safer.

Another study published by BJSM said that there are about six to eight injuries for every 1,000 boxing bouts. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of injuries in boxing are serious or potentially life-threatening, according to BJSM research.

“One boxer dead means one boxer dead,” says O’Connor, who also works as a martial arts coach, adding that the sport “still has a long way to go in terms of fighter safety.”

“Boxing, in some form, has always been with us and will always be with us. The aim must be to ensure that it is managed in a fair, transparent and safe manner that ensures the physical safety of participants. Any change must be considered and implemented in order to maintain the integrity of the sport.”

Head injuries, including concussions, brain hemorrhages, and skull fractures, are among the most common and serious injuries in boxing. Other injuries include cuts, a broken nose and eye damage, highlighting the brutality of the sport.

While research continues, some studies suggest that up to 50% of former professional boxers may develop signs of chronic encephalopathy — a chronic degenerative disorder of the brain — after their careers end.

“Concussion prevention is very important in preventing the development of permanent brain damage in the future,” said Shamim, the neurosurgeon. “Every concussion has an additional impact, and with each concussion you are more at risk of subsequent concussions.

“One-on-one combat as a spectator sport like boxing has been around for thousands of years and is unlikely to ever go away. But boxing carries with it a significant risk of concussions and traumatic brain injuries. With combat sports, the risk of concussions and other trauma will always be there.”