Proposed bare-knuckle boxing match in Perth sparks debate
The WA Combat Sports Commission says it has received a preliminary application to hold a bare-knuckle fight in Perth, understood to be planned for July.
The commission, part of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Creative Industries, has responsibility for the regulation of all so-called combat sports, including boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Chair of the commission, former WA health minister Bob Kucera, told Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC Radio Perth the commission first received an application for bare-knuckle fighting to be approved as a contact sport about six months ago.
He said the commission subsequently developed a set of rules fight promoters would have to comply with.
"In conjunction with … the combat sports industry, we put together a set of rules which went up to the previous [sports] minister, Minister Templeman, for approval," he said.
"They were approved.
He said permits had to comply with this particular set of rules.
"The rules here are very different to the other [combat] sports because in this particular discipline … they don't have any padding on their hands," he said.
"And the only strikes that are allowed are with the hands.
The commission has received its first application, which Mr Kucera said would be scrutinised.
He said a raft of rules would apply if the application was approved.
They included requiring participants to have a minimum of seven years of fighting and 10 professional bouts behind them.
Two doctors must be present at the ringside and if a boxer is knocked down, the bout must stop.
He said boxers would also have to have serology tests to make sure they had no bloodborne diseases, and must get clearance from a doctor if there was any history of concussion.
Mr Kucera said he understood many would regard the idea of bare-knuckle fighting with distaste, but he believed it was better for the government to regulate the practice rather than banning it outright.
"In countries where they've said, 'we're going to ban this kind of thing', what happens is it goes underground, and then you have no control at all over it," he said.
"If indeed it is approved, it is highly controlled.
"And the level of injuries we see in these things are probably less than what you get on the football field, because these people defend themselves."
Premier Roger Cook said that while the sport was not his "cup of tea", he agreed it was better to regulate the events.
"It's important that the Combat Sports Commission can make sure that we don't drive combat sports underground," Mr Cook said.
Numerous members of the community have slammed the idea, including WA president of the Australian Medical Association, Michael Page.
"We know that any sport that involves repetitive knocks to the head — and this is quite clearly that — puts people at risk of not only acute concussion and acute brain injury, but also chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is where people, years after they've been involved in these sports, progressively develop personality changes, memory difficulties and dementia."
Nationals WA deputy leader Peter Rundle also objected to the WA government approving such an event.
"The premier and the government seem to be sanctioning and normalising that violence."
Callers to ABC Radio Perth also objected.
"This is beyond insane," caller Branko said.
"Look at the rates of domestic violence, and I would probably not accept any nonsense about this not having any influence on boys. It does."
Caller Sheila said she was "absolutely appalled".
"We are rightly spending millions on domestic violence," she said.
"We are trying to educate our children that violence is not the right way, and then the government subsidise this bare-knuckle fighting."
But caller Alex was a supporter.
"If you want to hop in a ring and hurt yourself, why not? We're not a nanny state."
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