Boxing Research Articles

Christianity and Boxing: A Review Essay and Position Statement

The sport of boxing has existed since ancient times, with fights sometimes ending in death. In the modern world, with our greater medical knowledge, the risks of brain and other life-changing injuries have called into question whether boxing has a place in contemporary society. In fact, professional boxing has been banned in some European countries. There are also questions about whether it is appropriate to encourage spectators to watch two individuals attempting to punch each other into oblivion and about the effect this can have on those watching. The fact that, in recent years, we have seen the development of women’s boxing both in the Olympics and at the professional level raises further questions. The particular emphasis of this paper is to note the number of committed Christians involved in boxing from grassroots to the elite level and to consider whether involvement in such a violent sport can be reconciled with the teaching of Jesus Christ. The main source of data is published biographies and autobiographies of Christian boxers and some interviews. There is very little published material at an academic level on the topic that we are considering. The conclusion is that despite the sincerity of the Christian boxers involved in the sport, it is difficult to justify boxing as a sport in relation to Christian teaching.

Factors Influencing Older People's Intentions to Vaccinate.

Vaccination is crucial in reducing the spread of disease and improving overall patient mortality. Limited information exists regarding pharmacist accessibility outside traditional medical settings or impact on older patients' intention to vaccinate. This study aimed to examine patient perceptions regarding pharmacist accessibility and vaccination intention. Researchers used a quantitative research method of older people from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. A survey was given to community-dwelling older people who attended different vaccine clinics. The survey included 10 questions describing reasons for not receiving vaccines in the past, how likely they are to receive vaccines if administered at community events, and the importance of having easy access to vaccines. For Likert-type items, a 5-point scale was used. The surveys were collected electronically and anonymously from several community events. Aggregate data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. One hundred seventy-eight responses were collected. The average age of participants was 75 years, and 70.8% were females. Of the respondents, 44.9% preferred to receive vaccines at a community center, 17.4% at the doctor's office, 4.5% at a clinic, and 9.6% at a sporting event like a boxing match. Men were more likely to receive a vaccine at a sporting event, while women were more likely to be interested in receiving a vaccine at a community center (P < 0.05). Respondents somewhat agreed (median = 4, interquartile range = 3-5) that they do not have transportation to places with vaccines. Age was significantly and negatively correlated with educational attainment (P < 0.001). However, as participants' ages increased, they were significantly more likely to have a belief that vaccines do not work (P = 0.011). The study addressed how pharmacists should consider more community outreach events in convenient locations, like community centers, for older people to improve vaccination rates.

359. INNOVATIVE USE OF WEERDA DIVERTICULOSCOPE FOR REMOVAL OF AN IMPACTED SHARP FOREIGN BODY IN THE CERVICAL OESOPHAGUS MIMICKING MALIGNANCY

Abstract Background Chronically impacted sharp foreign bodies (FB) of the cervical or upper thoracic oesophagus can present a diagnostic dilemma. Fifty percent of sharp objects tend to lodge in the upper oesophagus and frequently cause perforation. A multidisciplinary approach is warranted. Eventually, surgery by cervical oesophagotomy/thoracotomy may be required. The Weerda diverticuloscope offers excellent endoscopic visibility and access to the lumen of the upper oesophagus allowing for removal of FBs and mitigating risks of a major surgical procedure. Methods We report an interesting case of a 27 year old gentleman being investigated for dysphagia. The patient notes were obtained from the electronic patient records. The radiological images were sourced from the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and endoscopy from stored images. The patient was radiologically diagnosed as having T4 malignancy but consecutive biopsies suggested Actinomycosis. Patient thereafter recollected having a fist fight and losing his dentures. This triggered the use of the Weerda diverticuloscope, a bivalved rigid diverticuloscope (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany). It has a distal fibreoptic illumination that is designed for trans-oral stapling of pharyngeal pouches Results Under general anaesthesia, the Weerda diverticuloscope was introduced into the cervical oesophagus. The tips of the jaws positioned just proximal to the embedded dental prosthesis. The diverticuloscope was suspended for stabilisation in the same manner as for endoscopic stapling of a pharyngeal pouch and the jaws were distracted to allow endoscopic access. A 5mm rigid telescope was passed alongside a pair of heavy endoscopic scissors and the prosthesis was divided into 3 parts. The central intraluminal component was removed first using endoscopic forceps, followed by gentle disimpaction and extraction of the remaining two components embedded in the oesophageal wall. Conclusion Foreign bodies in the oesophagus rarely can mimic cancer or chronic granulomatous diseases. A multidisciplinary approach is occassionally recommended in their management. There have been a few published reports of the use of the Weerda diverticuloscope to remove upper oesophageal FBs successfully. It’s use, however, is not often considered routinely. We recommend the use of this technique at centres where expertise in endoscopic management of Zenker’s diverticula is available and when endoscopic retrieval has failed.

Pre-extension Demonstration and Evaluation of Top Feeder Honeybee Feeding Technology at Wolmera Woreda, Oromia Region

To maintain optimum honeybee colony population during dearth of floral resources, feeding of honeybee colonies with supplementary feeds is important. This research activity is conducted with the main objectives to evaluate and demonstrate top feeder technology under farmers’ management and create awareness on the importance of the technology. As to the method, selection of demonstration sites and farmers was purposive due to the reason that the evaluation of the technology requires modern box hive and experience on this hive. Two demonstration sites at two Village Administrations selected and Farmers research groups were used for technology evaluation. One FRG which contain 10-15 beekeepers strengthened at each demonstration site and group apiaries of FRG members used as centers of learning and technology evaluation. At each sites, farmers, development agents and experts trained and experimental colonies established. Honeybee colony follow up and technology evaluation activities undertaken in partnership with these FRG members, development agents and experts. As to the result, by using top feeder, the beekeeper can feed many colonies in short period of time. The average time taken to feed one honeybee colony using top feeder was only 55.85 seconds where as it was 107.26 seconds using plastic bucket under farmer’s management. Moreover, feeding using top feeder also reduced honeybee colonies disturbance during time of feeding. In conclusion, technologies like top feeder that saves beekeepers time and also reduce disturbances of honeybee colony are critical for our beekeepers. Therefore, it is suggested to further pre scale up the technology in other areas

Embodied wisdom: philosophical reflections on boxing as a formative educational practice

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to explore the intersection between the ancient philosophical concept of àskēsis and contemporary boxing discipline, investigating boxing’s potential as an educational tool for cultivating ethics, personality, and virtues. Drawing on Hadot and Foucault’s theories, the study analyzes the ethopoietic purposes of Stoic spiritual exercises and technologies of the self, examining their relevance to modern boxing practices. By scrutinizing the cultural practices of boxing, the article elucidates how they can judiciously be employed to foster ethical development. By analyzing the parallels between philosophical doctrines and boxing ethics, an attempt is made to emphasize the embodiment of virtues that boxing champions could potentially have. In addition, the author, a former boxer turned coach, reflects on the changes in sporting values within boxing over the past two decades and discusses the practical and moral paradox of the problem of sub-concussions and concussions versus the formative purposes of ethos. While acknowledging the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the author argues that boxing, if approached consciously, can contribute positively to the development of personality and ethical behavior.

Developing a High-Performance Sports Results Prediction Artificial Neural Network: Case Study on World Championship Boxing

Abstract Major sports events are watched by millions around the world and the prediction of event outcomes is a subject of interest to many stakeholders which underlines the relevance of continuous development and improvement of prediction models. This study uses a factorial design methodology to develop and test 18 Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models for the prediction of world championship boxing matches. The methodology was applied to evaluate the individual and collaborative effects of feature selection, ANN architecture and training data selection on the prediction performance of ANNs. Feature selection was found to be the most influential factor on prediction performance with a statistically significant Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) between the feature selection levels and the test accuracy (p-value of 0.012). The collaborative effect of training data selection and feature selection on prediction performance was found to be statistically significant with ANOVA p-value of 0.007. The best performing model achieved a test accuracy of 81.53% which is an improvement to current benchmarks for sports prediction. The findings of this study contribute to the development of future machine learning sports prediction models.

The effects of nonverbal pride and skill on judgements of victory and social influence: a boxing study

ABSTRACT Displaying nonverbal pride after a boxing match leads to judgements of success. However, it is not clear the extent to which this effect generalises nor whether it can override competing information. An experimental design had 214 participants watch two boxing clips that were manipulated so that one was evenly matched and the other had a fighter with an advantage (i.e. demonstrating more skill). Nonverbal behaviour at the completion of the fight varied between fighters (pride versus neutral). When the fight was evenly matched, the fighters displaying nonverbal pride were judged as winning the fight, but the fighter did not garner increased social influence. In contrast, when fighters demonstrated superior skill, the more skilled fighters who displayed neutral postures rather than the less-skilled ones displaying pride were judged as winning the fight, and the skilled fighters garnered increased social influence. These results suggest that in a boxing context, a pride bias works in evenly matched scenarios, but when differences in skill are more clearly present, a skill bias is more pronounced and leads to more social influence. Furthermore, perceptions of skill were associated with judgments of victory across stimuli, suggesting the importance of skill perceptions in such judgments.

How old is too old to fight in boxing?

Professional boxing is a popular combat sport worldwide. It is a physically demanding sport, and professional boxers are usually in their mid to late 20’s. At around 35-years of age most boxers begin to show signs of physical decline. Boxers hence begin to retire from professional boxing around 35-years of age. Recently older combatants are entering the ring and cage to ply their trade. These are either former professional combatant who is choosing to come out of retirement or celebrities who are getting pitted against each other in exhibition boxing matches (popularly referred to as celebrity boxing). Many of these “combatants” are on the wrong side of 40, have little to no formal training in combat sports and poor physical conditioning. Boxing and MMA are referred to as combat sports. Neurological, orthopedic, and ophthalmological injuries are common. While some are life threatening others has the potential to cause lifelong disability. Boxers sometimes die in the ring due to acute traumatic subdural hematoma (SDH). Concern is hence raised for the health and wellbeing of these older athletes. Should an athlete above the age of 40 compete in professional boxing? How old is too old to fight in boxing?

Out of Apartheid’s (Racial) Corner: One Man’s Journey from Bare-Fists to Bible-Puncher

Raymond Mentor tells the story of personal transformation, from being a feared gangster to a preacher, through the sport of boxing. Placing boxing in the context of South Africa’s history of forced displacements, Mentor’s relationship with the sport gives us rare insights into how uprooted communities (re)built their lives while negotiating questions of racial and more localised identities. The reading of Mentor’s life through boxing, against the background of the internal configurations of daily life under apartheid, provides a counter to the broad brush of liberation history that privileges the struggle against apartheid while also highlighting ways of living that allowed imaginative negotiation of the violent street culture of apartheid’s newly constructed racial communities.

Аналіз ланок тіла боксерів під час нанесення ударів за допомогою сучасних технологій

Purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of using modern computer vision technologies to determine the body parts of boxers during a punch. Material and methods. During the research, the following methods were used: analysis of scientific and methodological literature and Internet resources, analysis of videos and images using machine learning technologies (in particular, computer vision technologies), as well as the application of mathematical statistics methods. The final boxing match in the weight category up to 91 kg at the Olympic Games (Tokyo, 2021) was chosen for analysis. The total number of images for analysis was 1025. In the study, YOLO machine learning models were used to detect the persons who were in the images and MediaPipe to determine the body parts of each of the athletes. Results: as part of a scientific study of detecting the YOLO pattern during a boxing match, fairly high results were obtained. The first athlete in a red uniform was detected with high accuracy - he was not detected on only 1,4% of images; the second athlete in the blue uniform was detected in 98,7 % of all images. The probability of correctly identifying the athlete by the model was 89,5 % and 91,2 %, respectively, for the first and second athlete. Analysis of the results indicates that the MediaPipe model has limitations in identifying certain body parts of athletes during martial arts competitions. In particular, the percentage of images in which body parts could not be identified varies from 21,7 % to 31,7 %. The overall picture shows that the model successfully identifies key body parts such as shoulders, elbows, wrists, palms, and fingers, with a probability of results ranging from 61,5 % to 74,5 %. But visual direct analysis shows certain problems with determining the movements of athletes. Conclusions. An analysis of the results of the use of modern computer vision technologies to determine the body parts of boxers during striking in competitive activities was carried out. The results indicate the high efficiency and accuracy of the YOLO model in the task of detecting athletes during sports events. But at the same time, opposite data were obtained using the MediaPipe model to determine the body parts of athletes. Visual direct analysis shows certain problems with determining the movements of athletes. The general trend is that in the conditions of boxing competitions, the MediaPipe model may face challenges related to the specifics of this sport and require further optimizations to achieve the highest accuracy and reliability in the identification of boxers' body parts. But at the same time, the integration of computer vision technologies into sports events opens up new opportunities for objective analysis and improvement of the technical skills of martial artists. Keywords: boxing, competitive activity, impact, modern technologies, detection, modeling, body parts.

Analysis of the process of emergence and development trends of Ukrainian and Eastern national types of martial arts

Background and Study Aim. National types of martial arts have been created and are functioning in Ukraine, which are gaining more and more popularity in the world. Modern sports science investigates the history of the creation of national types of martial arts. The purpose of the article is to investigate the historical origins of the emergence and development of Ukrainian and Eastern national martial arts. Material and Methods. 217 sources of information on the history of traditional Ukrainian martial culture were analyzed. Bibliometric methods of processing the received information were used. After the initial analysis, 34 sources were selected, which fully correspond to the purpose of the study. Results. The stages of the formation of the Ukrainian nation are quite fully covered in scientific historical sources. The mutual connection between the development of society and its martial culture is shown. It is reliably known about the presence of military training in the era of the Trypil culture (approx. 5400 - 2750 BC). It is shown that the complication of social relations and the development of material production created conditions for the separation of the caste of professional warriors. Professional soldiers conducted specialized training for weapons and physical fitness. In combat units, young men were trained for combat operations. The military training of professional soldiers reached its maximum development during the period of existence of Kyivan Rus (IX-XIII centuries of the new era). Literary sources provide information that the national physical culture developed at the same time as the complex of military-applied youth training. The training included fencing with various types of weapons, archery and types of unarmed combat. On the banks of the Dnieper, on the island of Khortytsia, the Cossacks formed the military society of Zaporizhzhya Sich (16th - 18th centuries of the new era) and on a systematic basis conducted preparations for conducting military operations. Varieties of fencing, wrestling and fist fighting were developed at a high level. Data given in scientific sources indicate that the Cossack martial arts became the basis of modern Ukrainian national types of martial arts. In Japan, in the process of the foundation of the country (1603-1868 years of the new era), a national martial culture was formed based on the training of samurai warriors. Conclusions. The bibliometric analysis of publications on the history of Ukraine determined the correlation between the stages of the formation of the Ukrainian nation and the development of the military culture of Ukraine. The significant influence of religion on the consciousness of Ukrainians makes it possible to divide martial arts into pre-Christian (Trypylian and Indo-European cultures) and Christian (Kyiv Rus, Zaporizhzhya Sich). A comparison of the emergence and development of traditional national martial arts of Ukraine and Japan makes it possible to highlight the general patterns of formation of modern national types of martial arts.

All that is good about the sport of boxing

All that is good about the sport of boxing

OGBN P19 Innovative use of Weerda diverticuloscope for removal of an impacted sharp foreign body mimicking malignancy in the cervical oesophagus

Abstract Background Chronically impacted sharp foreign bodies (FB) of the cervical or upper thoracic oesophagus can present a diagnostic dilemma .Fifty percent of sharp objects tend to lodge in the upper oesophagus and frequently cause perforation.A multidisciplinary approach is warranted. Eventually, surgery by cervical oesophagotomy/thoracotomy may be required. The Weerda diverticuloscope offers excellent endoscopic visibility and access to the lumen of the upper oesophagus allowing for removal of FBs and mitigating risks of a major surgical procedure. Methods We report an interesting case of a 27 year old gentleman being investigated for dysphagia. The patient was radiologically diagnosed as having T4 malignancy but consecutive biopsies suggested Actinomycosis. Patient interestingly recollected having lost his dentures after a fist fight. This triggered the use of the Weerda diverticuloscope, a bivalved rigid diverticuloscope ( Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany). It has a distal fibreoptic illumination that is designed for trans-oral stapling of pharyngeal pouches.The patient notes were obtained from the electronic patient records. The radiological images were sourced from the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and endoscopy from stored images. Results Under general anaesthesia, the Weerda diverticuloscope was introduced into the cervical oesophagus .The tips of the jaws positioned just proximal to the embedded dental prosthesis. The diverticuloscope was suspended for stabilisation in the same manner as for endoscopic stapling of a pharyngeal pouch and the jaws were distracted to allow endoscopic access. A 5mm rigid telescope was passed alongside a pair of heavy endoscopic scissors and the prosthesis was divided into 3 parts. The central intraluminal component was removed first using endoscopic forceps, followed by gentle disimpaction and extraction of the remaining two components embedded in the oesophageal wall. Conclusions Chronically impacted FBs in the oesophagus can rarely mimic cancer or chronic granulomatous diseases. A multidisciplinary approach is occassionally recommended in their management. There have been a few published reports of the use of the Weerda diverticuloscope to remove upper oesophageal FBs successfully. It’s use, however,is not often considered routinely. We recommend the use of this technique at centres where expertise in endoscopic management of Zenker’s diverticula is available and when endoscopic retrieval has failed.

Parole as a boxing match: Lifers, prosecution, and the adversarial making of parole hearings

Despite being depicted as powerful actors, the work of the State's representatives in parole hearings has to date remained largely invisible. In this study, we aimed to fill this gap through a qualitative analysis of the oral arguments of prosecutors in 130 lifers’ parole board hearings in Israel. The findings suggest that prosecutors construct lifers’ parole hearings as an adversarial, yet asymmetrical, “boxing match.” Three themes were unveiled: Prosecutors construct the lifers as worthy of re-censure; view the lifers as solely responsible for their parole release; and construct the lifers as inherently suspicious individuals. In conclusion, prosecutors’ parole work seems to be more a defense of their shared professional identity as crime fighters than a promotion of an individualized, inclusive, and future-oriented parole decision-making process.

Multi-objective boxing match algorithm for multi-objective optimization problems

In the last two decades, due to having fast computation after inventing computers and also considering real-world optimization problems, research on developing new algorithms for problem having more than one objective have been one of the appealing and attractive topics both for academia and industrial practitioners. By this motivation, we introduce a Multi-Objective Boxing Match Algorithm (MOBMA) in this paper. The proposed algorithm studies the multi-objective version of the Boxing Match Algorithm (BMA) by incorporating a unique search strategy and new solutions-producing mechanism, enhancing the algorithm’s capability for exploration and exploitation phases. Besides, its performance is analyzed with famous and capable multi-objective metaheuristics. We consider ten multi-objective benchmarks and three classical engineering problems. Statistical analyses are also conducted on the benchmark test functions from three engineering design problems. This study shows the superior performance of the proposed algorithm, considering both quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Professional male modern boxing: An analysis of activity profile by category

The purpose of this study is to examine modern professional male boxing by analyzing world champions differences between winners and losers by categories. 322 male professional boxers (age 28.95 ± 4.10, height 175.26 ± 9.44 cm, and weight 147.82 ± 31.31 lb) were included in this observational descriptive analysis, through 320 fights separated by weight divisions [Heavy (H) (n = 24), Cruiser (C) (n = 48), Light Heavy (LH) (n = 62), Super Middle Weight (SMW) (n = 17), Middle Weight (MW) (n = 68), Light Middle Weight (LMW) (n = 42), Welter Weight (WW) (n = 49), Light Welter Weight (LWW) (n = 28), Light Welter (LW) (n = 33), Super Feather Weight (SFW) (n = 63), Feather Weight (FW) (n = 66), Super Bantam Weight (SBW) (n = 42), Bantam Weight (BW) (n = 30), Super Fly Weight (SFLW) (n = 39), Flyweight (F) (n = 29)]. Differences were found between winners and losers (U = 57804 - 90908.5; p &lt;.001; d = 0.129 - 0.776) for all the variables analyzed. Four significant correlations were highlighted: %PL (Percentage of Punches Landed) (rho = .630); AVG PLxR (Punches Landed Per Round) (rho = .594); AVG PPLxR (Power Punches Landed Per Round) (rho = .517); %PPL (Percentage of Power Punches Landed) (rho = .672) and differences were also observed between weight categories (H = 32.29 - 93.11; p &lt;.001 - .004), except for %PL, AVG JLxR, %JL (Percentage of Jabs Landed) and %PPL. This data suggests that in order to win these events, fighters must deliver precise punches, especially power punches, and that there are differences between the categories with this type of punch (AVG PPLxR). Keywords: Performance, trajectory analysis, punch indicators, power punches, ecological study

Corporate boxing matches for charity: a personal point of view.

Boxing and other combat sports receive constant exposure and support in the media. Corporate boxing matches are a popular method of raising money for charity. However, charity fights are more dangerous for the contestants than other sanctioned bouts. In a world where head trauma and concussion in sports is under constant scrutiny, the ethics of raising funds by deliberate concussive forces to the head needs to be reassessed.

The temporal structure of male’s Olympic boxing matches in flyweight, middleweight and super heavyweight categories: a pilot study

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to define the temporal structure of Olympic boxing in males in the flyweight, middleweight and super heavyweight categories. The participants were boxers of the stated categories, who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Using observational methodology, we analysed all the matches in these categories from the round of 16 (n = 45). To obtain the results, we used different analysis techniques with SPSS: descriptive analysis, Shapiro-Wilk, one-factor ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis test and chi-square. The significance level used was p < 0.05. The results define the time structure models for each of the weight categories in the three rounds of combat. With these models, coaches and sport technicians will be able to establish the optimal training loads for their athletes. We found significant differences in the total number of punches and in the ring area where the punches were made, resulting in the flyweight category being where most actions are taken in both cases. In the three weight categories, the differences among the three rounds are minimal. We conclude that most of the combats end in the third round, consuming the total fighting time in the three weight categories.

Optimization of backpropagation neural network models for reliability forecasting using the boxing match algorithm: electro-mechanical case

Abstract Presenting a robust intelligent model capable of making accurate reliability forecasts has been an attractive topic to most industries. This study mainly aims to develop an approach by utilizing backpropagation neural network (BPNN) to predict the reliability of engineering systems, such as industrial robot systems and turbochargers, with reasonable computing speed and high accuracy. Boxing match algorithm (BMA), as an evolutionary metaheuristic algorithm with a new weight update strategy, is proposed to bring about performance improvements of the ANN in reliability forecast. Consequently, the hybrid model of BMA-BPNN has been provided to gain a significant level of accuracy in optimizing the weight and bias of BPNN using three sets of function approximation data to benchmark the proposed approach’s performance. Then, the BMA is utilized to improve reliability forecasting accuracy in engineering problems. The obtained results reveal that the presented algorithm delivers exceptional performance in function approximation, and its performance in forecasting engineering systems’ reliability is about 20% better than further compared algorithms. Similarly, rapid convergence rate, reasonable computing time, and well-performing are additional characteristics of the presented algorithm. Given the BMA-BPNN characteristics and the acquired findings, we can conclude that the proposed algorithm can be applicable in forecasting engineering problems’ reliability.

The Evolution of Pugilism: Current Issues in the Development of Modern Martial Arts

Pugilism, associated with emergency defense or attack, reveals the physical capabilities of an unarmed person. Such a fight is dictated by natural necessity, and the actions of the fighters depend on the qualities developed spontaneously throughout their lives. Modern boxing is the result of an evolution that required «cultural inventions»: a set of rules that took into account humanistic attitudes; gaming; special equipment. Interaction with art in the 20th century was the source of the emergence of a postmodern hybrid sport — chessboxing, which combines rounds of chess and boxing. In the 21st century, there was a need for the revival of bare-knuckle fights.