Melbourne move to ban boxing after brutal fight

by: Brigid O'Connell From: The Sunday Telegraph May 20, 2012

THESE are the bloody images that have renewed calls from Victorian doctors to have boxing banned.

Spectators were splattered as local Brad Pitt left Queensland's Joel Casey dripping in blood during the undercard to the world title fight at the Pavilion in Flemington on Friday night.

Casey hung on to make the distance for the entire six rounds, despite handing an equally blood-soaked Pitt his 13th consecutive win.

AMA Victorian branch president Stephen Parnis said the gory photos showed why the sport should be banned on health grounds.

"The words that come to mind when I look at these photos is brutal and barbaric," Dr Parnis said.

"The inescapable fact is that the aim of this sport is to harm your opponent and render them unconscious. There is no safe way of doing that.

"There is mounting evidence that concussion is more serious in terms of life-long implications than we used to think. There are also issues of permanent disfigurement, scarring to the face, broken bones and permanent eye injuries.

"The graphic photos show blood flying everywhere. It's not just revolting, it's a health risk because blood transmits infectious diseases."

But ring-side physician Dr Peter Lewis said Victorian boxing leads the way in safety, and Casey's ability to defend himself was not affected by the cut between his eyes.

"The rules for stopping a fight are concussion or if a guy is unable to see because the blood is in his eyes," Lewis said. "But not only could the fighter defend himself, he won the last round.

"When the cut first occurred the ref and I stopped and conferred, but I said as long as he was defending himself and fighting well the match could continue. There were calls for a standing ovation afterwards because it was a fair and hard-fought battle."

Lewis also said all boxers were regularly tested for transmittable diseases.

"It looks terrible for them to be covered in blood, there's no doubt about it. But it's not infectious blood."

In the International Boxing Organisation's super-featherweight world title, "Wild Will" Tomlinson was dominant as he saw off Mexican Daniel Ruiz.

The judges' cards were all heavily in Tomlinson's favour - 70-62, 70-62, 69-63. Or in other words, one judge gave Ruiz one round, the sixth.

Ruiz, 23, is a big puncher who had knocked out 19 other men, but Tomlinson sat him on his backside with a classic left hook to the jaw in the first round, almost repeated the dose in the second, rocked him with another big left in the third and never looked back.

"Every time I looked into his eyes I could see I was breaking his spirit," Tomlinson said. "Another one or two rounds the ref would have stopped it or he would have quit on his stool.

"He would have been disappointed the fight didn't finish, but he was feeling my power so probably deep down he was relieved."

Tomlinson remains unbeaten with 19 wins and a draw and has provided solid evidence that he is the real deal.

Just as importantly, Tomlinson possesses an aggressive, watchable style that should continue to prove popular at the box-office and in televised fights.

At some stage, he and his management will need to find a way get in the ring with one of the champions from the four sanctioning bodies that carry more clout than the IBO, but that's a process in which talent often runs a frustrating third to politics and money.

In that respect, Tomlinson is a work in progress.

[http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/boxing/melbourne-move-to-ban-boxing-after-brutal-fight/story-e6freygr-1226361102586