Boxers at risk
Local boxing authorities are treating the matter as trivia, but the truth is, boxers know that either them or their colleagues are suffering from brain-related ailments, with some on the margins of madness.
The reason is clear. A blow to the head causes the brain to shake, floating in cerebral fluid, colliding with the inside of the skull, thereby traumatising the soft tissue.
For local pugilists, it is all due to getting involved in too many fights within a year and lack of medical check-ups, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Result? Some boxers are suffering from punch-drunk, dementia, concussion, muscle-cramps and arthritis.
This is exactly what happened to the world’s leading boxer of all time, Muhammed Ali. The life of punches turned him into a cabbage, until his death in 2016.
Malawi News interacted with six boxers to understand what they are going through. We also interviewed a fading top boxer who, now, cannot remember a conversation beyond four hours.
Another pugilist goes nuts and abandons a fight after taking a few blows. Another one walks crazy on the street of Blantyre—absent-minded, hands trembling and his speech, hesitant.
“I am ok…as you can see, I can still fight,” he, from nowhere, turns back seconds after just greeting him.
There is a boxer who, in the heat of a bout, goes wild, unable to differentiate a referee from his opponent.
“It is so sad. It is all about ignorance and desperation for money. It is advisable, after a fight, to undergo medical examination but most boxers cannot afford it,” a fellow boxer says.
It is all about desperation, illiteracy and poverty. After a fight, a boxer is supposed to undergo some medical routine, including MRI which detects cracks in the skull.
“They get K50,000 after winning a fight, yet to undergo MRI, it costs in the ranges of K160,000 to K150,000,” the boxer says
Malawi-based Zimbabwean boxer, Brian Mwando, seems to be an exception as he goes regularly for check-ups.
“I used to suffer from body cramps a lot so we [with his boxer-wife Agnes] went for MRI scan. I was advised to take a break as, last year; I had too many fights [10]. I was supposed to have a maximum of five or six fights in a year,” Mwando says when asked about his absence from the ring.
Top boxer, Wilson Masamba, says he is fortunate that he undergoes medical check-ups regularly.
“It is very true that some boxers are suffering due to the effects of taking in too many blows to the head. You chat with them and you get surprised that they react as if they are waking up,” Wilson says.
Another well-known pugilist, Chimwemwe Chiotcha, also says he undergoes medical check-ups regularly, but admitted that most boxers do not.
“Boxers are desperate for money. They jump into any available fight. I feel pity for them. Unfortunately, they do not listen to advice. There are two or three boxers, who, in my opinion, are mentally ill. You crack a joke, they do not respond. You switch into serious talk, they are left in stitches— laughing. Sometimes, they look sleepy and respond as if they are just waking up,” Chiotcha explains.
One of the boxers, who is showing signs of insanity, admitted that, until a few months ago, he was unable to access post and pre-bout medical care.
“I used to feel so dizzy after a fight most of the times.”
Top boxer, Crispin Moliyati, claims that he knows of fellow pugilists whose health has been affected by getting involved in too many fights in a year.
I would give you an example, Moliyati says, of this up-and-coming boxer, who once he takes in a blow, goes nuts and chickens out of fights. Sometimes, he just goes unconscious.
Top pugilist, Limbani Masamba, says, so far, he has not been affected by the punches. But he admits that he rarely goes for check up, blaming it on those who promote such fights.
South Africa-based Malawian boxing star, Isaac Chilemba, warns that failure to seek medical attention, even after just undergoing training, puts pugilists at risk.
“These check-ups are very important. Firstly, each time a fighter gets hit to the head, [the] brain shakes, causing tissues to rub against each other. With this, a fighter can get brain damaged [the brain bleeds],” Chilemba explains.
The Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board pushes the responsibility of medical care of boxers to stable owners.
The Board’s Vice President,Frank Chibisa, says it is the responsibility of stables to provide medical care for their boxers, adding that once a manager says their client is ready for a bout it is difficult for the board to stop it.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that boxers do not get involved in too many fights within a short period of time. For example, after a knock-out, a boxer is supposed to take a break for three months,” he adds.
However, former boxers’ manager Mike Chimaliza blames the board for being so passive in ensuring that boxers of the same weight fight and they pass medical tests.
“Before a fight, as a promoter and manager, you are just alone with no representative from the board in sight. I have told the board several times against the tendency of just coming to witness fights but they just push everything to managers and promoters.
“I don’t think they do anything to enforce this and ensure that during weigh-in, for example, boxers meet weight requirements and have medical certificates. It is for this reason that I stopped managing boxers. I don’t want to be in trouble in future,” Chimaliza says.
Malawi National Council of Sports Executive Secretary, George Jana, talks about a policy of providing medical insurance cover to athletes when they are on national team duty, but certainly not for all athletes in general.
“It must be the responsibility of the boxers and their respective associations to ensure that their health is taken care of. There is need for associations to ensure the establishment of clubs because when athletes operate as individuals, they cannot hire a qualified coach, let alone medics,” Jana says.
Medical doctor, Honest Chirwa, admits that MRI, a special type of scan with very high resolution, is expensive and can be accessed at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
“It is challenging for boxers to be tested time after time. If boxers have a well-balanced diet, the risk of injury is reduced. What they eat and lifestyle can either positively or negatively affect them. Most of the boxers may want to build muscle by taking more fats. This is not recommended. A boxer needs about 15 percent fat of the total daily diet,” the Doctor explains.
The local boxing board is affiliated to world authorities, such as the World Boxing Council (WBC), which on its website, is clear on procedures for ensuring boxers’ safety.
“In order to protect the health and welfare of boxers, a boxer who has been knocked-out should undergo a medical examination as quickly as possible after the bout. Such examinations should be conducted under the authority of local commission where the bout occurred, the boxer’s local commission, or any medical authority approved by the WBC.
“The following examinations should be conducted on a boxer who suffers a knockout, technical knockout, or other circumstance in which the boxer has sustained extraordinary severity of blows in a bout or in training: a physical examination, including a complete neurological examination with particular reference to the pupils and optic fundi; MRI/CAT Scan; Electronystagmography,” reads the contents www.wbc.com
For the Masambas, Moliyati and Mwando, getting involved in boxing is a risk they are painfully aware of, but one that is beyond their control.
“Boxers are desperate for money. They jump into any available fight. I feel pity for them. Unfortunately, they do not listen to advice. There are two or three boxers, who, in my opinion, are mentally ill. You crack a joke, they do not respond. You switch into serious talk, they are left in stitches— laughing. Sometimes, they look sleepy and respond as if they are just waking up,” Chiotcha explains.
One of the boxers, who is showing signs of insanity, admitted that, until a few months ago, he was unable to access post and pre-bout medical care.
“I used to feel so dizzy after a fight most of the times.”
Top boxer, Crispin Moliyati, claims that he knows of fellow pugilists whose health has been affected by getting involved in too many fights in a year.
I would give you an example, Moliyati says, of this up-and-coming boxer, who once he takes in a blow, goes nuts and chickens out of fights. Sometimes, he just goes unconscious.
Top pugilist, Limbani Masamba, says, so far, he has not been affected by the punches. But he admits that he rarely goes for check up, blaming it on those who promote such fights.
South Africa-based Malawian boxing star, Isaac Chilemba, warns that failure to seek medical attention, even after just undergoing training, puts pugilists at risk.
“These check-ups are very important. Firstly, each time a fighter gets hit to the head, [the] brain shakes, causing tissues to rub against each other. With this, a fighter can get brain damaged [the brain bleeds],” Chilemba explains.
The Malawi Professional Boxing Control Board pushes the responsibility of medical care of boxers to stable owners.
The Board’s Vice President,Frank Chibisa, says it is the responsibility of stables to provide medical care for their boxers, adding that once a manager says their client is ready for a bout it is difficult for the board to stop it.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that boxers do not get involved in too many fights within a short period of time. For example, after a knock-out, a boxer is supposed to take a break for three months,” he adds.
However, former boxers’ manager Mike Chimaliza blames the board for being so passive in ensuring that boxers of the same weight fight and they pass medical tests.
“Before a fight, as a promoter and manager, you are just alone with no representative from the board in sight. I have told the board several times against the tendency of just coming to witness fights but they just push everything to managers and promoters.
“I don’t think they do anything to enforce this and ensure that during weigh-in, for example, boxers meet weight requirements and have medical certificates. It is for this reason that I stopped managing boxers. I don’t want to be in trouble in future,” Chimaliza says.
Malawi National Council of Sports Executive Secretary, George Jana, talks about a policy of providing medical insurance cover to athletes when they are on national team duty, but certainly not for all athletes in general.
“It must be the responsibility of the boxers and their respective associations to ensure that their health is taken care of. There is need for associations to ensure the establishment of clubs because when athletes operate as individuals, they cannot hire a qualified coach, let alone medics,” Jana says.
Medical doctor, Honest Chirwa, admits that MRI, a special type of scan with very high resolution, is expensive and can be accessed at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
“It is challenging for boxers to be tested time after time. If boxers have a well-balanced diet, the risk of injury is reduced. What they eat and lifestyle can either positively or negatively affect them. Most of the boxers may want to build muscle by taking more fats. This is not recommended. A boxer needs about 15 percent fat of the total daily diet,” the Doctor explains.
The local boxing board is affiliated to world authorities, such as the World Boxing Council (WBC), which on its website, is clear on procedures for ensuring boxers’ safety.
“In order to protect the health and welfare of boxers, a boxer who has been knocked-out should undergo a medical examination as quickly as possible after the bout. Such examinations should be conducted under the authority of local commission where the bout occurred, the boxer’s local commission, or any medical authority approved by the WBC.
“The following examinations should be conducted on a boxer who suffers a knockout, technical knockout, or other circumstance in which the boxer has sustained extraordinary severity of blows in a bout or in training: a physical examination, including a complete neurological examination with particular reference to the pupils and optic fundi; MRI/CAT Scan; Electronystagmography,” reads the contents www.wbc.com
For the Masambas, Moliyati and Mwando, getting involved in boxing is a risk they are painfully aware of, but one that is beyond their control.
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