IT?S TIME TO CHANGE THE RULES ON MOUTHGUARDS
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 17 Oct 2011
Last Saturday night on the undercard of Golden Boy Promotions? ?Believe It or Not! Hopkins vs. Dawson? fightcard a beautiful fight was marred by a competitor who elected to cheat and get out of trouble by spitting out his mouthguard, not only once but several times.
In the process, he was penalized a point by the good thinking referee. But he avoided a knockout loss. He also cheated his opponent and the fans that paid money to see a clean fight.
Larry Hopkins of Houston, Texas a fighter who lost all his four fights was the culprit. This fellow based on his record and on ring antics should quit boxing and find a better day job. Well, at least that is my opinion.
Hopkins? antics denied his opponent a well deserved knock-out because every time his opponent, 52 year old Dewey Bozella puts him in dire straits, Hopkins will spit out his mouthguard forcing the referee to stop the fight to retrieve his mouthguard and put it back in his mouth where it properly belongs. In the process Hopkins gets an undeserved break from the action.
I am sure I am not the only one in the crowd who felt cheated by Hopkins. Further, I am also positive that members of the California Boxing Commission present at the fight saw what Hopkins kept on doing. Hopkins was blatantly cheating!
But the Commission can not do anything about it save from the referee deducting a point from the fighter. The present rules have their hands tied!
So I say, its time the Commission change the rules regarding mouthguards not only to avoid what Hopkins disgustingly displayed but more importantly, to safeguard the welfare of the fighters. After all, that is part of the Commission?s job.
Hopkins was lucky that he did not suffer what Jorge Barrios did in a fight against Rocky Juarez in September 6, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
In that fight, Barrios was using a very loose mouthguard. He had a difficult time keeping it in let alone breath with it.
During one intense moment of the fight, Berrios elected to push his mouthguard out perhaps out of discomfort or difficulty in breathing. At the precise moment he pushed his mouthguard out, Juarez landed a solid punch.
The mouthguard being out of position serve as ?chopping block? instead of a protector. The force of Juarez? punch chopped the lip of Berrios into an ugly mess.
Instantly, it end the fight.
Hopkins antics were not the first time I have seen fighters do what he did to get out of trouble. It?s repulsive to say the least and it must be stopped.
Changes in the rules must be made and there is no better time to do it than now. We do not wish to see any more cheating in a sport that is always thought to be dirty. More importantly, we wish to safeguard the fighters as well.
The Commission should not only require that fighters have two mouthguards readily available but such mouthguards must fit properly.
The fighters must not be allowed use mouthguards that they can not push out with their tongue. Ban the use of stock mouthguards and those poorly made ?boil and bite? type.
Mandating the use of properly fitted mouthguards will not only avoid the cheating Hopkins has done but will serve to protect fighters from unnecessary injuries and even possible choking that can happen with the use ill-fitting and loose mouthguards.
But the question is:- Do the Commission have the balls to make such changes? I should hope so!
Photo: Hopkins spitting out his mouthguard during last Saturday's fight against Dewey Bozella at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.
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