Original Research

Injury Rates and Risk Factors in Competitive Professional Boxing

Zazryn, Tsharni R BAppSc(Hons); McCrory, Paul R MBBS, PhD; Cameron, Peter A MBBS, MD

Author Information

From the *Departments of Health Science and ‡Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia; and †Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine and the Brain Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Submitted for publication January 29, 2008; accepted September 12, 2008.

Tsharni Zazryn was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship.

The authors state that they have no financial interest in the products mentioned within this article.

Reprints: Tsharni Zazryn, BAppSc(Hons), Department of Health Science, Monash University, PO Box 527, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia (e-mail: [email protected]).

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 19(1):p 20-25, January 2009. | DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31818f1582

Abstract

Objective:

To determine injury rates and risk factors for injury in a cohort of professional boxers.

Design:

Retrospective cohort design reporting on data collected for a fight statistics database maintained by the Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board of Victoria, Australia. Data were extracted for the years January 1997 through June 2005.

Setting:

Victoria, Australia.

Participants:

545 professional boxers (age, 18 to 43 years) who participated in a total of 907 fights over the study period.

Assessment of Risk Factors:

Independent variables under investigation included age, gender, weight, bout exposure, and location of the bout (within or outside of the State of Victoria).

Main Outcome Measures:

Physician-reported acute boxing injuries occurring during bouts of any region or nature.

Results:

214 injuries were sustained over the 8.5 years, corresponding to an injury rate of 23.6 per 100 professional fights. The majority of these injuries were lacerations to the head and face. An increasing age and an increasing number of fights were both significant predictors of injury.

Conclusions:

Injury reduction strategies for professional boxing might include restrictions of eligibility to fight based on age and boxing bout exposure. Future research using prospective cohort designs and standardized injury definitions are needed to confirm these results. Greater mechanistic detail and more complete data entry are necessary to ensure that optimal injury prevention strategies can be developed and implemented. Upon confirmation of the results of this study, the Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board of Victoria may consider different criteria upon which to sanction a fight.