Boxing Ontario is committed to full compliance with all the provisions of Boxing Canada and AIBA competition rules.
For anyone who participated in the Canadian Golden Gloves earlier this month in Cornwall, you are aware that all Open Class Senior/Elite Male boxers competed without headgear.
We have been made aware that this provision will apply to all events going forward. This means that Open Class male boxers between the ages of 19 & 40 will not be wearing headgear at any event, including club shows.
Open Class male boxers between the ages of 19 & 40, up to and including 64kg will box with 10 oz gloves, while 69kg & above will wear 12 oz gloves.
I’ll be pursuing the ability to make the use of headgear optional in non-advancing bouts, but as of right now we must comply with the AIBA requirement.
I understand that there are some concerns regarding this issue, and I share some of those concerns. AIBA medical staff have conducted studies and determined that the number of head injuries is lower in bouts where there is no headgear.
Safety remains our number one priority and for boxers competing without headgear, the biggest risk would be cuts. Keep in mind that this risk also exists when the headgear is being worn.
I’m confident that our coaches, officials, and medical experts will do a great job of managing this risk.
This is the direction that the rest of the world is heading and getting experience boxing without headgear will keep our athletes on a level playing field so that there are no disadvantages when competing internationally.
This is another measure taken by AIBA to help increase fan engagement.
As always, feel free to contact me if there are any questions about this requirement.
Mike Power
President
Boxing Ontario
[email protected]
