A prospective cohort study of injury in amateur and professional boxing

Background: There is concern over the potential for a high incidence of injury in boxing. This is despite a lack of prospective data evaluating the risk for modern day participants. Updated, reliable data with a focus on potential exposure to injury for both amateur and, especially, professional boxers is required. Aim: To determine the epidemiology of injury and exposure of amateur and professional boxers in Victoria, Australia. Methods: A prospective cohort study with one year follow up was carried out over 2004 - 2005. Thirty three amateur and 14 active professional boxers registered with either Boxing Victoria Inc ( amateurs) or the Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board of Victoria ( professionals) volunteered. Exposure at training and competition was measured, and any injuries sustained during this participation were recorded. Results: Twenty one injuries were sustained by the cohort during the follow up period. Most were to the head region (71%; 95% confidence interval 23.7 to 89.4), with concussion being the most common (33%). An overall injury rate of 2.0 injuries per 1000 hours of boxing was calculated. Conclusion: The high exposure experienced by the boxers ( as a result of considerable training time) indicated that boxing has acute injury rates comparable to, and often lower than, those found in other contact and non-contact sports. Further, acute injuries during training appear to be less common and severe than those sustained in bouts.