In one corner, there was the high-profile build-up to Joseph Parker's clash against Russian giant Alexander Dimitrenko last night; the almost daily reports of a possible world title fight for the Kiwi heavyweight.
But away from the bright lights of the professional ranks, the sport of boxing was rocked by the tragic case of Neville Knight, the 49-year-old father who collapsed against the ropes and died in the ring at a charity event in Hamilton last Saturday.
Charity events and their corporate equivalents, which generally involve fighters with little or no boxing experience, have become increasingly popular over the last 15 years.
The Fight for Life events, which match celebrities against each other for charity, catapulted it into the mainstream in New Zealand, with the undercard of last night's bout featuring reality TV star Naz Khanjani taking on Paul Henry's daughter Bella.
It was Khanjani's second attempt to step into the ring after promoters Duco cancelled her July bout with DJ Lily Taurau when The Bachelor runner-up was hospitalised with a kidney infection.
But if she had any concerns about her safety this time around, she didn't show it. "Judging by how Duco approached me with my health last time, I know how seriously they take it and I know I'm in good hands with these guys," Khanjani told the Sunday Star-Times.
"They have done medical checks. I've gone through a few hours with the doctors down in Christchurch just to make sure I'm all good and they do another check before the fight. So they really do take this seriously."
Duco insist that the health and safety of their fighters is their No 1 priority; a company of their profile cannot afford to take any risks.
But can the same be said for the countless number of minor promotions, which lack the experience and resources of a Duco?
Police have referred Knight's death to the coroner. Witnesses believe he didn't suffer a killer blow; his trainer, Nabby's Boxing Gym owner Dion McNabney, described it as a "freak medical event".
Regardless of how he died, what occurred in the ring has shone the spotlight on the safety regulations of corporate events and whether they are too dangerous.
CORPORATE BOXING v AMATEUR & PROFESSIONAL
Critics of the sport are quick to use boxing as a punching bag when it comes to health and safety. It is an easy target.
Yet even those within the sport have warned against corporate fights.
Days after Knight's death, Amateur International Boxing Association supervisor Keith Walker urged Boxing New Zealand to separate itself from such events, claiming they were ruining the image of the sport.
The New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) has long been advocating against boxing and draws little distinction between the professional ranks, amateur or otherwise.
"Boxing is bad for you," says Dr Stephen Child, chair of the NZMA. "Why do we need to worry about corporate boxing being worse?"
"Although it is regulated to try and minimise the harm, the primary objective is to cause harm to the opponent and there's multiple evidence to show the damage done to the brain by multiple injuries.
"We are promoting a sport, therefore, that is not only bad for your health but sends a message to society as well that such violence is acceptable when we have a major problem with domestic violence already."
Corporate bouts typically consist of three two-minute rounds and are held under the regulations of either Boxing NZ, which governs the amateur side of the sport, and the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA).
Fighters must pass a full medical check and get signed off by a doctor at the weigh-in or on the day of the bout. A doctor or St John's officer must also be present at ringside.
Such precautions are missing the point, according to Dr Child.
"Putting a doctor in the ring isn't going to do much after the injury has occurred, is it? They're only there to try a minimise the harm that does occur.
"It's like saying, 'I'm going to crash the plane but it's OK because people had seatbelts on'. No that's not OK."
Competitors usually wear 16 ounce gloves, twice the size of amateurs or professionals, and don mouthguards and headgear.
That's not enough, Child says. "While it may be softening the concussion impact on the brain sloshing within the skull, you're not necessarily going to have any impact on the torsion affect on the neck and the whiplash injury component on the neck.
He suggests fighters should also be required to wear neck support – but ultimately, he says, it's time for us to ring the bell on boxing.
With neck movement being crucial in the ring, boxing enthusiast Sir Bob Jones says the idea of using a neck brace reflected an ignorance about the sport.
Let's be clear, he is no fan of corporate fights. The Wellington-based businessman does not believe corporate bouts are dangerous but, as a long time follower of the sport, says any comparisons between them and amateur boxing is "ludicrous".
"It's like including playing 'Snap' or 'Happy Family' in a Vegas poker tournament," says Jones, who managed Parker before parting ways in 2013. "Boxing requires intensely disciplined training over many years, the opposite of people jumping into the ring with large gloves and whaling away at one another.
"Untrained people not knowing how punch properly can't do much damage to one another."
CREDIBILITY ISSUES
Waikato Boxing Association president Rick Ellis has been involved in the sport for more than 40 years and regularly trains people for corporate events.
His fighters are put through a 10-week training programme, with a high emphasis on the art of defence.
Apart from the medical procedures, Ellis says the match-making process is critical in ensuring their safety. He constantly monitors his fighters, matching them on strength, fitness, commitment and technique, as well as age and weight.
"So it's not just a matter of what the rules and regulations are in place, it's common sense," Ellis says. "If you're a credible gymnasium with credible people the sport is very safe."
And therein lies the deepest concern surrounding corporate boxing.
NZPBA president Lance Revill admits corporate boxing has breathed new life into the sport but doubts whether fighters are receiving sufficient training from qualified coaches.
"There are so many boxing gyms that have started up in the country now, people just buy a set of pads and they say 'oh ok, I'll go and have a box' and after one boxing lesson they think they can do it," Revill says.
"We've got to make sure these guys are well-trained. Not just trained, but well-trained by a renowned boxing gym – not just someone who's called himself 'Corporate Boxers Limited'."
Auckland boxer Craig Thomson has been promoting corporate events for more than 10 years and says the landscape has changed dramatically.
In the past, Thomson says, people would treat corporate bouts as a one-off, something to tick off the bucket list without having to compete as an amateur.
"Now we've got a situation where there are corporate boxers who have had three, four or five – I know guys who have had up to 10 corporate boxing fights.
"I don't have a problem with that as long as they are matched correctly with guys who had similar experience."
Thomson encourages all of his fighters to see a doctor before they start training and has no problem pulling them from the card if they fail the pre-fight medical.
Thomson cited one example where he had to prevent one person from fighting, despite selling close to $20,000 worth of corporate tables.
He says McNabney is immersed in the sport and is confident he would have followed all procedures.
But Thomson admits not everyone sticks to the rules and has called for boxing promoters and trainers to be licensed.
"There are the cowboys out there, promoters simply in it for the money. They try to do a charity event and do the right thing but actually have no idea about boxing," Thomson says.
"There are also a lot of cowboy trainers out there as well, who claim to be boxing trainers but wouldn't have a clue what they're doing and they're putting guys in the ring.
"We've talked about it in the past trainers need to get licences and it might mean they do a two-day course once a year to refresh themselves on basic things like health and safety, signs of concussion."
OVER-REACTION?
The number of deaths at corporate events around the world is unclear but it is said to be rare.
In 2014, corporate boxer Lance Ferguson-Prayogg collapsed following a fight in Nottingham, England. An inquest into his death ultimately attributed it to the use of a diet pill.
Safety procedures should always be reviewed in the wake of such tragedies but Ellis, Revill and Thomson all agree that banning corporate boxing would be an over-reaction.
People are quick to jump to conclusions due about boxing but there are few other sports, if any, that require competitors to be medically-cleared to compete at a social level.
Then there's the the risk of forcing such events underground, which may only be more dangerous.
As Ellis says, if corporate boxing is banned, where do you draw the line?
"Boxing is often misinterpreted but it is a contact sport and I think if you're going to talk about banning any sport you have to look across the board at all contact sport – and that's just not feasible."
Resource: http://www.stuff.co.nz/
