Is boxing a sin?

[Newbie2]

One of my football coaches in high school put it in a way that I always thought was appropriate: You want to give your opponent a good pop; to lay some pain (in the sense of temporary discomfort) on him, but you don’t want to injure him.

Boxing, when done in a manner similar to other marital arts i.e. the goal being to score points, not by injury would seem to be OK as long as protective equipment is used and the intent is not to knock one’s opponent unconscious.

However, one way to win is by knockout; that would seem morally questionable.

Professional boxing, MMA, etc…very questionable as injury to one extent or another is fairly certain.

 

[Timi_Celcer]

Thanks for your posts but you still didn’t answer what i asked. I asked specifically if boxing is a sin because Paul said those things about the body being the temple and not everything is good for building up. I hoped that you could explain why boxing is or isn’t a sin according to statements by Paul. Could you please help and explain those Paul’s statements and if they make boxing a sin?

 

[thewanderer]

Thanks for your posts but you still didn’t answer what i asked. I asked specifically if boxing is a sin because Paul said those things about the body being the temple and not everything is good for building up. I hoped that you could explain why boxing is or isn’t a sin according to statements by Paul. Could you please help and explain those Paul’s statements and if they make boxing a sin?

You’re not going to get a definitive answer here, all you are going to get is people’s opinions on the matter.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

This is a really general quote. As it applies to your question it is saying that we should take care of our bodies. Now, how that applies to boxing I am not sure. Some would argue that it forbids boxing as boxing can damage the body. But there are many other things which can damage the body which can still morally be done. So your question really seems to be about the morality of dangerous sports, does that seem correct to you?

1 Corinthians 6:12:“I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but I will not be mastered by anything.

As for this… I’m really not sure how it applies to boxing. I mean, beyond the fact that it is pointing out that just because we are able to do something doesn’t mean it is beneficial. But whether or how this applies to boxing is another question altogether. So, as far as I can tell, the problem these quotes bring up comes down to a question of “Is boxing moral and beneficial” and “Are dangerous sports moral” Does that sound like a correct summary of your problem?

 

[Newbie2]

Thanks for your posts but you still didn’t answer what i asked. I asked specifically if boxing is a sin because Paul said those things about the body being the temple and not everything is good for building up. I hoped that you could explain why boxing is or isn’t a sin according to statements by Paul. Could you please help and explain those Paul’s statements and if they make boxing a sin?

One of the difficulties in answering the question is that there are different sorts of “boxing”; Olympic and professional, sparring and contest/match boxing, with possible different degrees of “temple stewardship”.

 

[silver2soul]

I am in awe that someone would ask this question!

First off…does it harm your neighbor? Does it harm the body which is the temple of the holy spirit intentionally? Is it really showing by example how you LOVE thy neighbor?

If you answered yes to the first two questions and no to the last; then yes and no matter your answers it IS wrong.

History has proven time and time again how physically damaging boxing can be to the human body, additionally it also promotes wrath, hate, pride and even envy in some cases. Let us strive to be at peace with all people, and love one another as JESUS the son of GOD did by offering himself as a living sacrifice for our sins. Do not allow the enemy to seduce us into captivity by shallow or heavy means, resist and…

*Ephesians 6:10-18

New International Version (NIV)

The Armor of God*
10* Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.*

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Timi_Celcer]

Okay in boxing, professional form of curse, there is a chance of dying. Altough very small, someone can die. But that is mostly a result of wanting to fight even tough you were hurt by your last fight. Wanting to fight is your own call since currently there is no “universal” governing body of boxing(for professional boxing). So while boxing for excercise is benefical, boxing “one on one” CAN be bad. Amateur boxing is probably more good than bad, because you do alot of excerscise while getting some really minor injuries like some bruises and rarely any big injuries(like in most sports). But the thing that concerns me is professional boxing. Yes there is a good side of it, also some excercise but there are so many injuries in every fight. I really really like professional boxing and i even do amateur boxing ever tuesday and thursday but i keep wondering if professional boxing violates Paul’s statements. Could you please tell me, how to decide if something is benefical or not, if something has more good sides than bad than its ok, or if has no bad sides than is ok? And boxing doesn’t promote anger,… that is a matter of an individual and not the sport. Again please, help.

 

[Bookcat]

But the thing that concerns me is professional boxing. .

As it has indeed concerned others…

“Moralists generally have doubted the morality of professional boxing, of the bull-fighting popular in Hispanic culture, of speed racing, and of various kinds of stunting in which there is serious risk of death or grave bodily injury.”

~ Fr. Benedict Ashley OP

From the work “Living the Truth in Love, a Biblical introduction to Moral Theology” 1996 pg 306

(Fr. Benedict Ashley was professor of Theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, highly respected author of several text and countless articles on moral theology. A consultant for the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and a senior fellow of the Pope John Center of Medical Ethics. He was honored with the Pro Ecclesia medal from Bl. Pope John Paul II)

(Note Bene the term “professional” there. The criticisms others too have in this thread seem to be aimed at that level or kind of boxing with all its multiple head shots etc I imagine moral theologians can discuss any difference between “professional boxing” and other kinds of boxing -I do not have personal knowledge really of either…but I note this for there are likely various distinctions that can be made theologically)

 

[Arizona_Mike]

If it’s a sin, why did the Catholic Church promote it through the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Boxing Leagues for so many decades? The CYO Boxing Leagues led to the creation of the Golden Gloves.

I was taught to box by the priests in our parish. They were really good boxers and coaches, too. I went on to an amateur and a (very) short pro career. The CYO leagues gave options to many poor young men and taught them to make quick decisions under pressure, courage in the face of aggression, and the values of hard work and good sportsmanship towards your opponent.

Bear in mind that the kind of boxing (“pugilism”) to which Paul was referring was not what we see now in pro or amateur boxing, or in MMA. The pugilist gladiators fought to the death, and wore leather straps with spikes on them wrapped around their fists. No sports commissions, no medical clearances, no mouth guards, no ring doctors, and you could hit anywhere on the body - spine, groin, throat.

 

[ProdigalSon1211]

Hey I am a huge boxing fan! I always make sure to catch boxing on HBO/Showtime! Maybe even catch ESPN Friday Night Fights and boxing on the Spanish networks. My favorite boxers are Juan Manuel Marquez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Saul Alvarez, and many more !

 

[Bookcat]

If it’s a sin, why did the Catholic Church promote it through the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Boxing Leagues for so many decades? The CYO Boxing Leagues led to the creation of the Golden Gloves.

I was taught to box by the priests in our parish. They were really good boxers and coaches, too. I went on to an amateur and a (very) short pro career. The CYO leagues gave options to many poor young men and taught them to make quick decisions under pressure, courage in the face of aggression, and the values of hard work and good sportsmanship towards your opponent.

Bear in mind that the kind of boxing (“pugilism”) to which Paul was referring was not what we see now in pro or amateur boxing, or in MMA. The pugilist gladiators fought to the death, and wore leather straps with spikes on them wrapped around their fists. No sports commissions, no medical clearances, no mouth guards, no ring doctors, and you could hit anywhere on the body - spine, groin, throat.

I do not think Paul talking about Roman gladiators-and he was using a reference that would be known to his readers -not discussing the morality of this or that.

As to the morality of boxing -again see my post just above --Professional boxing and other like things can be perhaps a different matter than other boxing (I leave that to the Moral Theologians -but I noted there the quote from the one regarding the general doubting of the morality of “professional” boxing).

 

[tomarin]

Bear in mind that the kind of boxing (“pugilism”) to which Paul was referring was not what we see now in pro or amateur boxing, or in MMA. The pugilist gladiators fought to the death, and wore leather straps with spikes on them wrapped around their fists. No sports commissions, no medical clearances, no mouth guards, no ring doctors, and you could hit anywhere on the body - spine, groin, throat.

Talk about your fight clubs …

 

[Bookcat]

Bear in mind that the kind of boxing (“pugilism”) to which Paul was referring was not what we see now in pro or amateur boxing, or in MMA. The pugilist gladiators fought to the death, and wore leather straps with spikes on them wrapped around their fists. No sports commissions, no medical clearances, no mouth guards, no ring doctors, and you could hit anywhere on the body - spine, groin, throat.

Talk about your fight clubs …

PS I do not think Paul was actually referring to such…

Nor would he have of course said such ‘games’ were good.

 

[Timi_Celcer]

Well the kind of boxing Roman “used” was definetly sinful, they even fought to death. But what made these form of boxing sinful was the people, boxing in itsef was not sinful. What im asking is wheter any kind of boxing but especially professional boxing is sinful based on Paul words. What i wish for is that you tell me how to decide, how to interpert Paul’s words correctly, what did Paul meant with those words and how do they affect wheter boxing is sinful.

 

[Bookcat]

Well the kind of boxing Roman “used” was definetly sinful, they even fought to death. But what made these form of boxing sinful was the people, boxing in itsef was not sinful. What im asking is wheter any kind of boxing but especially professional boxing is sinful based on Paul words. What i wish for is that you tell me how to decide, how to interpert Paul’s words correctly, what did Paul meant with those words and how do they affect wheter boxing is sinful.

Morality of boxing is not based on a phrase quoted by Paul in a particular context and meaning.

If one asks about the morality of boxing in today’s various forms one would look to how such is evaluated by orthodox Moral Theologians etc.

“Moralists generally have doubted the morality of professional boxing, of the bull-fighting popular in Hispanic culture, of speed racing, and of various kinds of stunting in which there is serious risk of death or grave bodily injury.”

~ Fr. Benedict Ashley OP

From the work “Living the Truth in Love, a Biblical introduction to Moral Theology” 1996 pg 306

(Fr. Benedict Ashley was professor of Theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, highly respected author of several text and countless articles on moral theology. A consultant for the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and a senior fellow of the Pope John Center of Medical Ethics. He was honored with the Pro Ecclesia medal from Bl. Pope John Paul II)

(Note Bene the term “professional” there. The criticisms others too have in this thread seem to be aimed at that level or kind of boxing with all its multiple head shots etc I imagine moral theologians can discuss any difference between “professional boxing” and other kinds of boxing -I do not have personal knowledge really of either…but I note this for there are likely various distinctions that can be made theologically)

 

[Bookcat]

Well the kind of boxing Roman “used” was definetly sinful, they even fought to death. But what made these form of boxing sinful was the people, boxing in itsef was not sinful. What im asking is wheter any kind of boxing but especially professional boxing is sinful based on Paul words. What i wish for is that you tell me how to decide, how to interpert Paul’s words correctly, what did Paul meant with those words and how do they affect wheter boxing is sinful.

Paul is discussing particular matters in a particular context in the letter. And have to be understood in their exegetical context.

Having said that --could one from what he states about the body being the temple of the Spirit there -also conclude that there are forms at least of boxing that are sinful? Yes I think it can be argued that such would be the case.

But to get more directly at the question of “is boxing sinful?” one has to look at such from the Theological Science of Moral Theology.

If one asks about the morality of boxing in today’s various forms one would look to how such is evaluated by orthodox Moral Theologians etc.

“Moralists generally have doubted the morality of professional boxing, of the bull-fighting popular in Hispanic culture, of speed racing, and of various kinds of stunting in which there is serious risk of death or grave bodily injury.”

~ Fr. Benedict Ashley OP

From the work “Living the Truth in Love, a Biblical introduction to Moral Theology” 1996 pg 306

(Fr. Benedict Ashley was professor of Theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology, highly respected author of several text and countless articles on moral theology. A consultant for the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and a senior fellow of the Pope John Center of Medical Ethics. He was honored with the Pro Ecclesia medal from Bl. Pope John Paul II)

(Note Bene the term “professional” there. The criticisms others too have in this thread seem to be aimed at that level or kind of boxing with all its multiple head shots etc I imagine moral theologians can discuss any difference between “professional boxing” and other kinds of boxing -I do not have personal knowledge really of either…but I note this for there are likely various distinctions that can be made theologically)

 

[Bookcat]

Here is one Priest at the EWTN Q&A’s take:

ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=542276&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2008&Author=&Keyword=boxing&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=2&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=542398&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2008&Author=&Keyword=boxing&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=406324&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2004&Author=&Keyword=boxing&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

He - also stated:

“I expect most moral theologians object to modern prize fighting in the ring, too violent, too much harm done to each other.”

So I think one will find that a distinction can be made and is often made between “professional boxing” and other forms of boxing.

As the Catechism states: 2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good. scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2288.htm

 

[Timi_Celcer]

Okay so Paul said all this things… But all thigs are both beneficial and bad for you. For example school can be really stressful while on the ontither side it brings knowledge and a potential job. Same goes with professional and other kinds of boxing.

The issue of boxing has been present since my “spiritual rebirth” around 10 months ago, and as boxing was and is my favorite sport i put a lot of thought into it. I found out that professional boxing is not sinful because of the punches to the head… It is not sinful in that way because what you are doing is art with a high respect to your oponnent in most cases. Your goal is not to hit him until he can’t hit you no more, your goal is to OUTBOX him. There is a difference believe me. Recently another doubt came into my head about boxing, those Paul’s words. I dont know how to interpert them or how to apply or not apply them to boxing. I love boxing but i love God more, so i will do what i can to find out the truth.

I also believe that boxing is the most noble, royal and civilized sport in which two friends who love each other as friends can have fun in.

 

[Bookcat]

I found out that professional boxing is not sinful because of the punches to the head…

see above 2 posts. Follow all 3 links there (I know sometimes people just skip links -but he they are directed to your question -“is boxing sinful” -there in he gives his take gathered from his studies/knowledge as a Priest)

 

[Bookcat]

Paul is discussing particular matters in a particular context in the letter. And have to be understood in their exegetical context.

Having said that --could one from what he states about the body being the temple of the Spirit there -also conclude that there are forms at least of boxing that are sinful? Yes I think it can be argued that such would be the case.

See the links above too (where the authors distinguish between professional boxing (seen as immoral) and other forms of boxing).

 

[Bookcat]

And as a summary:

“Moralists generally have doubted the morality of professional boxing, of the bull-fighting popular in Hispanic culture, of speed racing, and of various kinds of stunting in which there is serious risk of death or grave bodily injury.”

~ Fr. Benedict Ashley OP (see above)