Holt/Torres and accidental headbutts in boxing. What can be done?

Question

Take at look at these vids and ask yourself "why are there so many accidental headbutts in boxing"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5BKu9F1XoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WeuissnsCI

Had I watched it live, I would have swore then and there that Torres' neck was broken. And you got to give credit to the ref and ring docs in administering first aid for the downed fighter.

The accidental headbutt is becoming more and more a part of boxing. In this case, it stunned a fighter long enough to get him blasted. And we all remember what Benn's headbutt did to McClellan. These kind of accidents need to be curbed in the ring, but what's the best way to to do it? Is it time for head gear? Should the rules be altered to disallow crouching? Should we do nothing and consider it a "unavoidable part of the business"? In the 70's and 80's, the detached-thumb on the gloves was the big issue, now in the 90's and 2000's, we're looking at headbutts

Answer 1

Their are accidental fouls in every sport. Career-ending injuries happen in football, basketball, and some of them involve being PARALYZED for life. As far as I am concerned, boxing is one of the safer sports out there. There's nothing we can do to avoid headbutts in boxing. Headbutts can happen merely from two boxers deciding to go forward at the same time. The more we do to curb injuries in the ring, the less exciting the sport will be.

Answer 2

i was going for holt too because of what happend in Colombia but he cheered a little too hard for me to really respect that KO...Sadly nothing you can really do without hurting the sport and is just a nessecary evil... Even if you score the fight a no contest since Holt was getting Pummeled till that point the Damage will still be done .... Not sure this is something to be fixed but hated to see a great fight ruined by those kinds of accidents.... And if not for the headbutt it would of not been a great fight but a quick KO for Torres.... But torres made no excuses so it happens .....

Answer 3

i dont know what to say about the truly accidental butts, but something more could be done to stop the malicious purposely done headbutts along with other fouls..in the holt/torres fight the headbutt appeared completely accidental,it might have contributed to the knockout,it seemed to stun torres for a moment before the big right hand..but it wasnt maliciously done..nothing like the late punch landed by torres after the 2nd knockdown. fighters who are caught deliberately using illegal tactics should be disciplined somehow.... headgear is definitely not the answer,with the rise of the mma ,boxing is already losing fans and that would make it worse. i think all that can be done is weed out intentional users of dirty tactics, though many are among boxings favorite fighters.

Answer 4

i watched that fight live and i noticed the headbutt right off the bat and you can see that had that not happened torres would probably have gotten holt out of there. but it was accidental and although its hella unfortunate there's nothing that can be done about it. its just one of those things that happen. a rematch should be made though, but i dunno if torres will ever be the same, that was a brutal shot.