Is boxing a Christian Sport?

[Ceil-1]

Hi,

I’m new to this forum, so my name is Eddie and I’m 17 years old and I live in Indiana.

I just wanted to bring this up because not too long ago I started boxing at a local gym.
There is a lot of controversy about the sport in mainly professional boxing. I always thought of boxing to be a Catholic sport but here are some issues:

Is boxing attempted murder?
Is it harmful to the health of the body, knowing very well you are going to get hurt.
Is boxing a savage sport?
Doesn’t the sport encourage violence?
The goal of the sport is to hurt your opponent and “opencut” him/her
Doesn’t boxing go against the commandment of: "Thou shall not kill?

(And I just have to say that Mike Tyson really disgraced the sport and made the game seem barbaric during his years, and he didn’t help the boxing popularity cause with his bloodthirsty attitude. He had that large of an impact on the boxing outlook. From 1986 to now, people who don’t know much about boxing hear the word “boxing” and think: MIKE TYSON THE ANIMAL)

 

[marlo]

I’m from the philippines, and our boxing hero is manny pacquiao, its a sport in this country and most of boxers here do it as a full time job. so i guess, it depends on how you live it. if you box because you need to feed your family, then its a sport and a good living, but if you kill through boxing, then its not. some here do box for health reasons. (loose weight, etc,etc)

Hi,

I’m new to this forum, so my name is Eddie and I’m 17 years old and I live in Indiana.

I just wanted to bring this up because not too long ago I started boxing at a local gym.
There is a lot of controversy about the sport in mainly professional boxing. I always thought of boxing to be a Catholic sport but here are some issues:

Is boxing attempted murder?
Is it harmful to the health of the body, knowing very well you are going to get hurt.
Is boxing a savage sport?
Doesn’t the sport encourage violence?
The goal of the sport is to hurt your opponent and “opencut” him/her
Doesn’t boxing go against the commandment of: "Thou shall not kill?

(And I just have to say that Mike Tyson really disgraced the sport and made the game seem barbaric during his years, and he didn’t help the boxing popularity cause with his bloodthirsty attitude. He had that large of an impact on the boxing outlook. From 1986 to now, people who don’t know much about boxing hear the word “boxing” and think: MIKE TYSON THE ANIMAL)

 

[mschrank]

Hi Eddie,

I don’t think there is anything wrong with boxing. First of all, as Christians we are not supposed to be pacifists. Look at many of the saints, they led troops into battle. It’s only recently that some Christians have equated being a limp-wristed coward with piety.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_J._Flanagan

A famous case of boxing being used for good ends can be see in Father J Flanagan. He opened up an orphanage (Boy’s Town) for troubled kids in Omaha, Nebraska. A big part of his rehabilitation program was the gym and of course, boxing. It was through boxing that he channeled the agression and rage of these kids and through boxing (amognst other things) they learned fair play and sportsmanship.

Boxing is not attempted murder because you’re not trying to murder your opponent.

Boxing is only harmful to the body if you do it enough and intensely enough to cause long-term brain damage or other diseases. Simply being cut or getting a bloody nose is not serious injury to one’s self and does not violate the commandment.

I don’t think the sport encourages violence outside the ring any more than guns encourage murder. The individual conscience has to be responsible.

It all depends on what spirit you are boxing in and why you box. If you’re boxing to toughen yourself up, to become more of a man (and God wants all men to be manly), and get some excercise, then there is nothing wrong with it. If you’re boxing to learn how to beat people up and to hurt people and not get in trouble, then there’s something wrong with YOU, not the sport.

 

[SiempreFiel]

I’m from the philippines, and our boxing hero is manny pacquiao, its a sport in this country and most of boxers here do it as a full time job. so i guess, it depends on how you live it. if you box because you need to feed your family, then its a sport and a good living, but if you kill through boxing, then its not. some here do box for health reasons. (loose weight, etc,etc)

I’m a BIG boxing fan. I’m Mexican. Boxing is very popular in Mexico. Pacman is the annihilator of Mexican boxers

Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz would stop Manny Pacquiao on his tracks anytime

http://fightwriter.com

 

[Jguerra]

You can engage in boxing without penalty if:

–you do it for sport or professionally.

–you do not adopt a mentality that looks to disable/maim/kill your opponent as your ultimate goal.

–you do it to keep in physical condition.

–you don’t give in to shortcuts and compromises (gambling, steroids, fight-fixing).

Me? If I could set up a home gym, I’d have a Bowflex and speed bag, a ring with a heavy bag.

I am reminded of the opening sequence in the first Rocky film: a mural of the Sacred Heart of Jesus overlooking the ring.

Joe

 

[marlo]

I would love to see this fight pushed through, Pacman vs. Baby Bull, Pacman will need to step up in to a higher weightlevel though,

next question will be: is betting for boxing just for fun a Christian thing?

I’m a BIG boxing fan. I’m Mexican. Boxing is very popular in Mexico. Pacman is the annihilator of Mexican boxers

Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz would stop Manny Pacquiao on his tracks anytime

http://www.fightwriter.com/files/Juan Diaz.jpg

 

[RLT]

Hi,
I always thought of boxing to be a Catholic sport…

Don’t know about it being a Catholic sport, but there have been priests involed in boxing programs

Is boxing attempted murder?

No, your intent as a boxer is to outbox your opponent with skills and know how.

Is it harmful to the health of the body, knowing very well you are going to get hurt.

Yes it can be, especially professional boxing. Most injuries in boxing are not serious and have no long term effect. The long term damage is usually the long term effects to the brain. Most boxers retire or get out of boxing before these effect get serious though. It’s the ones that take too much punishment or don’t quit that suffer the most. Compared to other sports fatalities are rare.
Amatuer boxing is much safer and in fact safer than other contact amatuer sports such as football, hockey, basketball etc.

Is boxing a savage sport?

When not done properly by legally sanctions entities with no rules or regard to saftey it is.

Doesn’t the sport encourage violence?

On the contrary, boxing creates an environment to release agression, learn self sacrifice and discipline. The stories about troubled youth and ex cons turning their lives around through boxing are endless.

The goal of the sport is to hurt your opponent and “opencut” him/her

Wrong, wrong, wrong! If that’s what your being taught you need to find a new gym.
That’s the mentality jguerra is talking about that gets you into trouble. The objective of boxing is not to hurt your opponent, it’s to outbox him.

BTW I’m a boxer so I know a thing or two.
Yes as a boxer it’s not if but when you get hurt.
You will get your bell rung and you will take a blow to the body that will make you want to get into a fetal positon. You’ll get a bloody nose and might even spring a cut on your brow…but most of you injuries will come from training; pulled muscles, aching joints and hands.
Barring a freak accident or some kind of undetected medical conditon you will not die or kill anyone boxing.

Oh, if Manny can hold the weight going up to 135 he TKO’s Diaz by the 8th round

 

[a_pilgrim]

…Pacman is the annihilator of Mexican boxers …

Little sideline, FWIW…

I happened to be in Las Vegas this past Oct. 6 for a family event, staying at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The place was PACKED with fight fans there for the Pacquiao/Barrera event (it was held at Mandalay Bay). Didn’t get to see the fight, but I was actually pulling for Marco Barrera (hey… us “old” guys gotta stick together! ). Anyway, my sister-in-law and her husband actually rode the elevator up to their room along with Manny Pacquiao and some of his people after the fight! Said he looked like he had just been in a fight (well… DUH!), but he was in great spirits (hmmm… y’think the HUGE payday he just earned could’ve had something to do with that?? ). One of those “brush with fame” moments for my sister-in-law, I guess.

Like I said… FWIW…

 

[SiempreFiel]

Little sideline, FWIW…

I happened to be in Las Vegas this past Oct. 6 for a family event, staying at the Mandalay Bay Resort. The place was PACKED with fight fans there for the Pacquiao/Barrera event (it was held at Mandalay Bay). Didn’t get to see the fight, but I was actually pulling for Marco Barrera (hey… us “old” guys gotta stick together! ). Anyway, my sister-in-law and her husband actually rode the elevator up to their room along with Manny Pacquiao and some of his people after the fight! Said he looked like he had just been in a fight (well… DUH!), but he was in great spirits (hmmm… y’think the HUGE payday he just earned could’ve had something to do with that?? ). One of those “brush with fame” moments for my sister-in-law, I guess.

Like I said… FWIW…

Cool.

 

[Montalban]

What’s the one where they have to play it in Brazil 'cause it’s so violent - like no rules in it? Some guy called “The Smashing Machine” was a champ.

 

[marlo]

that must be world vale tudo championship, which meas “any thing goes”. i wonder if theres any EO who fights in mixed martial arts, it seems that its very open to catholic.

What’s the one where they have to play it in Brazil 'cause it’s so violent - like no rules in it? Some guy called “The Smashing Machine” was a champ.

 

[Pat_the_Cat]

Here’s some links that you might find interesting.

Is Boxing a Sin?

Then there’sJames J. Braddock, the man who’s story is potrayed in the film Cinderella Man, who boxed to keep his family from starving. Brilliant film.

But apparently there are some Jesuit theologians in the Vatican who condemned PROFESSIONAL BOXING. in an article in the "Civilta Cattolica" (Catholic Civilisation),

 

[Montalban]

Here’s some links that you might find interesting.

Is Boxing a Sin?

Then there’sJames J. Braddock, the man who’s story is potrayed in the film Cinderella Man, who boxed to keep his family from starving. Brilliant film.

But apparently there are some Jesuit theologians in the Vatican who condemned PROFESSIONAL BOXING. in an article in the "Civilta Cattolica" (Catholic Civilisation),

The character from MAS*H, Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy, was always into boxing.

I seem to remember a few filsm with pro-boxing RCC priests, such as Boys Town with Spencer Tracy in the lead.

 

[drafdog]

Boxing is not a Christian sport. It is a pagan Greek sport. At one time it was thought that it toughened the skin on the face, making it easier and less painful to shave. So if you’re doing it to help with nicked skin, you’re okay.

Matthew

 

[RLT]

Boxing is not a Christian sport. It is a pagan Greek sport. At one time it was thought that it toughened the skin on the face, making it easier and less painful to shave. So if you’re doing it to help with nicked skin, you’re okay.

Matthew

Huh, I guess that explains why I don’t nick as much anymore.

 

[Newbie2]

Boxing is not a Christian sport. It is a pagan Greek sport. At one time it was thought that it toughened the skin on the face, making it easier and less painful to shave. So if you’re doing it to help with nicked skin, you’re okay.

Matthew

Tough way to condition your face!