What are the pros and cons of boxing? Is boxing worth the risks? Read on to learn from our detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of boxing.
A successful career in boxing engraves one’s name in the hall of fame with flashlights from cameras capturing every moment from fights, awards, and personal life.
Hence, making history out of every moment.
How can we forget the luxurious lifestyle with flashy cars beckoning to ride upon and a huge bank account that makes one’s life worth living?
What about endorsement deals that put one’s face on billboards all over the city? We tell you, it is all exciting.
Flipping to the other side where no one wants to look is an older man with shivering hands that can’t even feed himself, brain damage, and blurry vision.
He struggles to remember what his child’s face looks like even when he stands before him.
This time, all the strength and agility are perfectly replaced with pains and unhealthiness.
Well, we are not saying this will be the fate of all boxers, but it was for some and might as well be the fate of others if not guided with knowledge.
Below are the dangers and benefits of boxing carefully picked out to enlighten you.
Pros of Boxing – Advantages
Below, we will be looking into the advantages of boxing activities either as a profession, fitness, or self-defense.
Cardiovascular Health
Cardiovascular health is simply the health of the heart. Engaging in boxing exercise as a fan or practicing it as a profession helps heal the heart and blood vessels.
In recent times, numerous people have been recorded to suffer heart and blood vessel disease.
Examples of these heart diseases are heart failure, stroke, heart valve problems, etc.
Engaging in boxing exercises helps the heart pumping which in turn lowers the risk of various heart diseases.
Chiseled Perfect Body
It is everyone’s dream to lose excessive body fat and have a perfect body.
Nevertheless, not everyone can bear the pain of engaging in an energy-consuming exercise like boxing. For those who do, a well-chiseled perfect body is inevitable.
All that matters is the consistency put into training at the gym and in the ring. The combination of both works magic in the body.
Improved Confidence:
Having a perfect body, strength, and agility, a good profession and little fame is the best confidence booster.
It gives no room for low self-esteem or worthlessness. If one is feeling down or intimidated, taking a boxing class has been known to help boost back confidence.
So instead of being the one who feels intimidated, working out in a boxing arena put your body in a sharp position where people feel intimidated by your stance.
Self Defense
We live in a dangerous world filled with crime and insecurities. Most times, before the arrival of law enforcement agents, the deed has been done.
Therefore, it becomes important for every citizen to be able to defend themself when the need arises.
Taking a boxing class can help solves this with some basic practice. That will be the only way not to be the victim.
Builds Discipline, Concentration, and Reflexes
It takes real discipline to turn up at the gym every single day for hard training. Boxing helps build concentration and great reflexes.
If as a person, you are finding it hard to stay concentrated, training as a boxer can help in improving this skill.
Further from that, boxers are known to have great reflex action which helps them to quickly counter an attack before it can even be actualized.
Wealth and Fame
We live in a world where money makes things happen and fame opens the doors of honor. Well, the good news is that both can be acquired in the game of boxing.
Some professional boxers today never knew they can make anything out of life as they come from a rocky background.
Although, wealth and fame are not promised to all with hard work and consistency anyone stands a chance.
Woman’s Man
Most women are naturally attracted to men with great body physic, wealthy, influential, and strong.
When a single person has a few combinations of these qualities he becomes the perfect man.
This might not look like an advantage to some people, but to others, it is just what they need.
No Formal Education Requirement
Unlike other professions where formal education and higher degree are required to make it big in their practice, boxing requires non.
The fact is, the English Language is not even a prerequisite to be a professional boxer. It gives equal opportunities to all tribes and races.
Cons of Boxing – Disadvantages
Below are the disadvantages of boxing one might encounter when fully engaged in the sport as a profession.
Brain Damage
Brain damage is one of the most pronounced disadvantages of boxing. Boxers in their later years do suffer from brain damage.
This is as a result of heavy punches they have landed on the head which weakens the brain nerves over their career years.
With this disadvantage, if one is not passionate enough about the sport, it is not advisable to follow the career path.
Early Death
We all know that death is synonymous with all man. Regardless, some activities and practices have been known to hasten its arrival.
One of these activities is engaging in professional boxing practices.
Some boxers have died in the boxing ring while others have sustained some life-threatening injuries that might eventually take their life. This is one of the dark sides of boxing.
Time Consuming and Dedication
Boxing takes the entire life of anyone practicing it as a profession. It gives no room for a side hustle except if the management of such hustle will be entrusted to someone else.
Boxers don’t just sit back and wait for a fight, they practice every day to keep fit and when there is an upcoming match, they practice even more.
Therefore, it is time-consuming and needs high dedication.
Infliction of Injuries
If you are a lover of your body and love to carefully carry yourself around to avoid injuries then, boxing is not just for you.
Boxers get inflicted with injuries while training and when with an opponent.
Some of the general and frequently inflicted injuries are torn faces, punctured nose, shoulder dislocation, cracked ribs, strains, and many more.
Some of these injuries are sometimes severe while some are minor.
Eye Damage
This is another disadvantage boxers experience after a long career. With tons of punches that have been directed to their facial area, especially around the eye socket.
It sends some shock waves to the retina that might later affect vision.
This usually results in blurry vision at old age and if the person is unlucky it can result in total blindness.
Limitations with Self Defense
In as much as boxers can defend themselves during an attack, it comes with some limitations.
Unlike the Mixed Martial Artists who are trained generally to defend their whole body against attack, boxers are only trained to defend only the upper body.
More so, when a boxer’s back is put to the ground they lack the skillset to take advantage of it to rise back up.
These are weaknesses and limitation that comes with boxing which put it at a disadvantage when it comes to self-defense.
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Final Thoughts on the Pros and Cons of Boxing
From the benefits and disadvantages of boxing explained above, one can easily figure out what to expect in the said sport.
With these pieces of information, anyone willing to enroll will be able to make a solid decision after weighing both the good and the bad.
This will help to prevent unexpected shocks as every variable is already made available.
Conclusively, maturity, they say, is the ability to make decisions and stand to face the consequences be it good or bad.
You are the architect of your destiny, you chose who you want to be.
