Fighters are the most health conscious people in sports. There is one area of our body that is often overlooked, but should be given more attention and it is the brain. There are numerous injuries that a fighter can suffer. But none is as serious as brain damage.

Fighters in every discipline can suffer a wide range of brain damaging illnesses due to continuous full contact to the head. Some can have effects such as Parkinson’s disease which Muhammad Ali suffers, which still leaves him able to speak and move but there are other boxer injuries that can leave a fighter permanently damage for life whereas he cannot function at all. They can be left paralyzed or in an Alzheimer’s state of consciousness.

In 1982, a Korean fighter named Kim Duk-koo died from a brain hemorrhage after being knockout by Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini. In April 2005, female boxer, Becky Zelentes, 34 of Fort Collins, Colorado died in the ring of what the coroner diagnosed as blunt force trauma to the head.

Fighters with long-term careers often suffer from a chronic condition known as boxer’s dementia.

In the first stage, a fighter experiences slight memory problems and a mild lack of coordination. In the second stage, he develops paranoid ideas, mild speech impediments and a resting tremor. In the last stage, serious speech difficulties, a disabling lack of coordination and a general cognitive decline are common. When a former fighter develops dementia, he loses more than motor function but also his personality. Often follow by hours of blank stares.

To avoid boxer’s dementia, fighters should retire when they note their skills eroding. Unfortunately, the lure of big paydays keeps them fighting. The longer a fighter fights the more likely he will lose his mind. Medical studies have revealed that any fighter who has lost ten fights should not be fighting. There is a correlation between the number of fights lost and dementia. That is because the loser tends to take the bulk of the punishment.

To minimize suffering the effect of dementia fighters should get MRI’s regularly. MRI examinations are sensitive in detecting brain lesions, which lead to dementia. Any fighter that shows a significant amount of lesions will be asked to retire.

Be careful and keep this article in mind!