The World Boxing Association (WBA) held a medical seminar in which it shared its suggestions for the proper restoration of boxing activity amid Covid-19. The debate discussed many interesting ideas, all taken from the safety protocol that will be published this week. In addition, there were important points such as the explanation of the five stages that should be taken in order to reach normality, the proposal by President Gilberto Jesús Mendoza to use an acrylic guard at the face-to-face encounters and the delivery of the WBA health kit that will be given to all the participants of the boxing cards.
The doctors explained, among many important points, the phases that must be fulfilled to return to normality, which they divided into five stages. The first is the Isolation Training, which consists of individual home training. The second one is Training with a trainer, and can be divided into three phases: non-contact, with contact and in gyms.
The third stage is the return to training in public facilities or gyms, while the fourth is holding events behind closed doors and with limited staff. Finally, the fifth phase refers to boxing events with an audience and without limitations. The implementation of each phase will depend on the country and the provisions of each authority. Boxing organizers must adapt to local provisions according to the stage each country is in.
The WBA kit for fighters, coaches and staff was also announced. It will include gel, masks, gloves, and other safety equipment for each participant.
Six well-known WBA Medical Committee doctors discussed boxing practice amid the pandemic. The seminar was called “The Impact of Covid-19 on Daily Boxing Activity”. A total of 197 people got connected to learn from the specialists, who gave details about the safety measures to be taken for the practice of boxing and how the virus has affected the sport.
Nina Radcliff, graduated in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California; Jorge Ramírez; Physical Education Professor from the Institute of Physics, Culture and Sport of Kiev, Ukraine; Joseph Estwanik, Orthopedic Surgeon and member of the Carolina Hall of Fame; Shivana Inalsingh, certified in Anatomy and Physiology from the American College of Health Sciences, Karanjeet Singh, a member of the ASBC Medical Commission; and Saúl Saucedo, a doctor from the Autonomous University of Mexico with extensive experience in sport; were in charge of this seminar, which was also attended by WBA President, Gilberto Jesús Mendoza.
They all worked together to create a special health protocol, which is intended to be a guideline for the reactivation of boxing and will be published this week for commissions and promoters to learn from the best specialists all the necessary precautions to be taken in order to carry out events in a safe way.
Mendoza’s proposal on the use of an acrylic guard at the face-to-face encounters during the weigh-ins was very interesting. The intention, he explained, is to limit direct contact between them before fights to reduce risks.
The seminar had a very special moment with the participation of Don Muzzi, who has been in charge of the security measures of the recent UFC events. He explained what the experience in the UFC has been like, what successes and failures they’ve had and how they have learned from the two events they’ve held this month. He welcomed the WBA panelists’ ideas in an exchange whose sole purpose was to learn about the situation and apply all that learning to our sport.
The WBA continues to work towards reestablishing boxing, but under the most rigorous security measures that guarantee the most suitable practice of the sport.
