Delectable on one hand, appalling on the other, boxing has been marinated in centuries of history like no sport before it or since?
?Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.??George Orwell
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from 1920 was the first German Expressionist film. It was also, according to Roger Ebert, ?the first true horror film.? Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, it reflects the pacifism of the writers, whose experiences during World War I left scars on their psyches.
In his book ?From Caligari to Hitler,? Siegfried Kracauer says that the film anticipates the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. He argues that the film reflects a subconscious need in German society for a strongman, while spotlighting Germany?s deference to a tyrant and reluctance to rebel against deranged authority. Its adherence to Manichean principles allows the filmmakers to explore themes of sanity and insanity, the subjective perception of reality, and the god/beast duality of human nature.
According to Hans Janowitz, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari delves into ?the authoritative power of an inhuman state gone mad.?
Boxing is all things to all people all the time. For some of us, for the exceptionally delusional, it?s the noble art, the sweet science, the sport of sports, the gentlemanly art of self defense and the fight game. Boxing has been informed, if not altogether defined, by every poetic phrase through the ages that sought to describe prizefighting as something that is ?serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude??Aristotle?s definition of tragedy.
For others, perhaps more discerning or less, it?s just two guys punching each other in the face.
That is boxing?s conundrum. Delectable on one hand, appalling on the other, boxing has been marinated in centuries of history like no sport before it or since. But boxing is a guilty pleasure whose virtues and liabilities go hand in hand and toe-to-toe. As public perception waxes and wanes, boxing is either triumphant or on the retreat, depending on who you ask.
A sport which celebrates male culture naturally draws men to its ranks. Some treat boxing casually. There might be appreciation, of a sort, a reluctant acceptance based on aesthetics. There might be curiosity based the lure of the primordial in an allegedly civilized society. But in the end, for many boxing is just another sport, and one that cannot be trusted.
By contrast there are others who take boxing seriously. In addition to the vast sums of money that change hands, which confers significance if no guarantee of excellence, there are the consequences, serious and sometimes unforeseen consequences that result from being a boxer by trade. In the best case scenario, boxing can lead to fame, riches, and a plaque in Canastota. In the worse case scenario, it leads to the sport?s own private G?tterd?mmerung.
There is a man from Trinidad-Tobago who has thought long and hard about these issues. His name is Dr. Calvin Inalsingh. He is a medical doctor and sports medicine practitioner. He is also Chairman of the WBA?s Medical Advisory Committee.
Dr. Inalsingh is neither a fan nor a detractor. He is immersed in the sport, but not without misgivings. He knows too much to take boxing for granted. He knows too much to not give boxing his undivided attention.
?We try to protect the boxer as much as possible,? Dr. Inalsingh told me. ?Outside the ring to educate him or her to know what to do, how to get fit, and how to recover from injuries and when they?re in the ring, we want to educate the referee, the trainers, and the ringside physicians what to look out for. That?s the essential thing, because it can result in a power knockout which can be avoided.?
Trying to avoid a ?power knockout? is like trying to avoid hitting a grand slam in the World Series. The knockout is the ultimate. But boxing, for all that it is and is not, is at its essence fundamental yet complex, inherently dangerous and destructive.
?Many times a boxer would have a head injury, but nobody knows that,? said Dr. Inalsingh. ?But if their parents or their friends know what to look out for, a parent, a friend or a relative can take the boxer to the hospital. And if he gets there in time, it might help a little bit.?
A little bit of help is better than no help at all.
Dr. Inalsingh is a professional in a profession which often questions boxing?s relevance. When a fatality occurs, groups like the AMA (American Medical Association) inevitably call for the sport to be banned. In a perfect world, they might get their wish. But in the real world, in our world, brimming as it is with imperfections, it?s not happening. Banning boxing is like banning air or water. It?s like banning music or the sun. Boxing preceded us and will be here when we?re gone. It?s not going anywhere, and all the doctors in the world will not change that, no matter how well-meaning, influential, or intrusive they may be. Dr. Inalsigh opposes prohibition, in fact and principle, as any thinking man might. He does not want boxing banned, but he understands those that do.
Dr. Inalsingh drew closer and lowered his voice.
?I spoke with somebody who they called a Bad John in Trinidad,? he said. ?That is the local word for a bad man or gangster. He?s a bad man. We went into conversation and I realize that he?s a changed man now. I asked him, ?What made you change?? The man said that when he was young and walking down the street and he saw someone he would beat them if he did not like them. If he had a good pair of shoes, he will beat him and take it. If they have ice cream he will take it and eat it. He thought that was the right thing then but didn?t think so anymore.?
Dr. Inalsingh paused.
?And then later on I met Mike Tyson. He told me the same thing. Mike Tyson was saying he would beat somebody to take a shoe, but he said, ?I don?t know why I do that.? But I feel I know why?because he didn?t have a family life. He didn?t know good from bad.?
With a nod to Sigmund Freud, Dr. Inalsingh elaborated.
?I thought about it and I said this is important to know because they came from the same environment. It?s just like an animal. The ego is there, but there?s no superego. When you?re born you have an ego and if you want to live you have to eat and if you want to eat you have to hunt. It?s where the superego comes in. ?Don?t do this. Go to school. Follow the rules. Learn something and that helps somebody.? That?s using the superego instead of the ego alone. You?re trained to have a superego, and the superego tells you, ?This is correct. This is not correct.? So your life changes right away. So I feel that two people who spoke to me, they were at the animal instinct when they were doing that. They didn?t have parents. They didn?t have school. They didn?t have a mentor. When Tyson got a mentor he changed. I know he changed.?
As paradoxical as boxing is, from both a physical and psychological standpoint, it?s where people can channel their aggression in a socially acceptable way.
?It brings people out to better themselves and that?s very good,? said Dr. Inalsingh, ?because you?re directing the energy of people who don?t know where to go. You catch them as a youth and you train them. Everybody doesn?t like to fight, and there are problems in society, but I think boxing brings out the talent and helps society in general. You can bring somebody from the gutter out?and that?s where boxing comes in very handy.?
