In All Earnesty...

In 1996, some Japanese neurosurgeons reported that serious brain injury (specifically, acute subdural hematoma) was the proximate cause of most Japanese ring fatalities. The Velazquez collection supports their assertion. However, heart conditions have also caused deaths, as have heat injuries and Second Impact Syndrome.

Sometimes the reason for the death bordered on criminal -- some of those promoters really were gangsters, and some of the deceased had not won a contest in years. Others fought despite known pre-existing conditions to include impacted teeth, detached retinas, severe headaches, heart problems, and/or recent concussions.

In addition, some commissions got lazy, and turned a blind eye toward safety. Thus, many of the deceased fought with faked medical histories, birth certificates, and ring records. Even during the past twenty years, there have been fights without trained medical personnel or ambulances nearby, or with improperly strung ropes, unpadded turnbuckles, and similar hazards.

Finally, boxing gyms are rarely models of sanitation. Before the development of "miracle drugs" such as sulfa and penicillin during the 1930s and 1940s, skin and eye infections posed serious health risks. More recently, anabolic steroids, amphetamines, and blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis C and HIV have created new health risks. And, to this day, training partners sometimes share blood-spattered mouthpieces, gloves, and protective cups.

Nonetheless, given current medical technology, unexplained deaths will happen even in well-run programs. For more about this, see Francis G. O'Connor, John P. Kugler, and Ralph G. Oriscello, "Sudden Death in Young Athletes: Screening for the Needle in a Haystack", American Family Physician (June 1998).

With this background in mind, let's examine the risks of boxing.

And can healthy young(ish) people die in a short period (minutes) after getting a pummeling?

Quincy wrote:

And can healthy young(ish) people die in a short period (minutes) after getting a pummeling?

Given the opportuinity, I could punch you in the throat and crush your larynx which would effectively cut off your ability to breath so you'd die in a matter of minutes.

It is much easier tyo kill a person than most people might think. We are not indestructible. :wink:

There are many ways to kill with your bare hands grasshopper.
quincy, are you asking for any particular reason? Are you having cramps and in a bad temper?

The nose in the brain is my favorite