Professional boxing resumes after five months of absence Audi New Corona with no audience

Professional boxing resumed for the first time in 5 months Aichi with no spectators New Corona July 12 18:59

The professional boxing match, which had been canceled due to the new coronavirus, resumed for the first time in 5 months on the 12th, and at the venue in Aichi prefecture, thorough infection prevention measures were taken, and the new Japanese king 5 games were played with no audience.

Pro boxing has been canceled since February 27 due to the spread of the new coronavirus, but JBC = Japan Boxing Commission has strict measures to prevent infection. I allowed the game to be restarted on the condition that I played.

In response to this, Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture, held the 5th match against the New Japan King, the first professional boxing match in 5 months, on the 12th.

There were no spectators at the venue, and the surrounding timekeepers and doctors wore face shields, wearing disposable jackets to prevent flying, and the trainers on the second also wore masks and gloves.

In addition, the rings were disinfected between rounds, and the referees changed their jackets after each match to ensure thorough infection prevention measures.

It took place in an unusual situation, but the 10 players were fighting with all their might, such as in a fierce fight where they were competing for down from the first match.

Satoshi Matsumoto, who won the minimum class of the first game, said, "I'm just happy and relieved. I was worried that the new coronavirus could really play the next game, and sometimes I could not practice at the gym. I couldn't keep my motivation, but I'm really happy to win today."

“For the future of boxing, I thought that I couldn't make a mistake, and all the people involved were prepared for the match. I'm relieved that nothing happened, but I'm still infected. The situation has not subsided, so we may need to take even more severe measures in the future."

Expert "Sports with large physical contact have a great impact on other sports"

Experts in preventive medicine have pointed out that the success of the reopening of this professional boxing match will affect other sports that have high physical contact, such as rugby and sumo.

Hideyuki Kanda, a professor at Okayama University, who was involved in creating guidelines for hosting professional boxing games, said, ``Boxing is a sport with more physical contact than baseball and soccer, and saliva and blood fly around the ring, causing infections. It is important to gradually resume business, but strict management is a major premise.”

Regarding current measures such as athlete isolation and antibody test, "I think that possible measures are being taken at the moment. However, it is not safe because I performed the antibody test once, in a sense, it is the minimum necessary Since it is a part, it is necessary to handle it more carefully, such as thorough hygiene management from everyday life,'' and regarding the resumption of the game this time, ``If a cluster occurs in this industrial industry, measures will not be taken. I'm sure it was enough, and I think the success of this effort will have an impact on other physical sports like rugby, American football, and even sumo wrestling. I think it will have a very significant meaning such as whether or not it can be connected to."

Voices that players have been waiting for

During the five months that we were unable to play the match, players have been listening to many voices who are waiting for it to resume.

Kyota Kogure (32), a super-featherweight member of the gym in Aichi prefecture, was supposed to have passed the protest in November last year and will be debuting in March with the new rookie of Central Japan.

I was excited about my debut match because my dad and brother who had already died loved boxing, but the match was delayed in April of the next month and many times the next month. That is.

For the match, I had to lose about 10 kilos, and while I was working part-time at two restaurants, I continued practicing in the intervening time, but the match was not decided and I was physically and mentally strong. It means that fatigue has accumulated.

Last month, the match was officially decided, and Kogure started making adjustments such as sparring in earnest.

Kogure said, “I've been fighting for postponements and I'll have to continue until I can, so I was positive because the match was decided. Boxing gradually returned to its original shape while taking proper measures. I want you to go."

Nobuo Higashi, chairman of the gym to which Kogure belongs, is that he was also a chairman of the Central Japan Boxing Association and was concerned that these new players would leave the boxing due to the undecided match.

Chairman Higashi said, “I've been in a situation where it's hard to say that the game will be cancelled, so I really wanted to put it out. I would like to implement a game with strict measures. Even though the boxing population is decreasing, The world is thinking that hard contact sports are all right, so I think boxing will not survive if we do not take proper measures."

On the 12th, Kogure won a one-round technical knockout with an impressive fight and said, "At the moment I stood on the ring, I was grateful to all the people who have cooperated so far. I think the other person had a lot of trouble in this situation, but I would like to thank you for standing in the ring. I don't know how much I can do in the future, but I want to continue boxing."

Thorough infection prevention measures such as antibody testing and quarantine

Athletes who participated in the match held in Aichi Prefecture on the 12th performed two "antibody tests" to check whether they had been infected with the new coronavirus, and to avoid contact with the outside, the 11th I was isolated from the day before the match and started the match.

The JBC = Japan Boxing Commission, which supervises the game, mandates "antibody tests" for players approximately 3 weeks before the game and twice the day before, according to the guidelines to be followed when playing the game.

The 10 athletes who participated were taken blood tests and antibody tests after the weighing and screening at hospitals in Aichi prefecture on the 20th and 11th of last month, respectively, and all were confirmed as "negative".

After the inspection on the 11th, I moved to a nearby hotel as it was, isolated each in a private room, and spent time until the match.

The meal time was set for each athlete, and it means that one person had dinner at the cafeteria.

Kyota Kogure, who participates in the Super Featherweight class, said on the 11th, "It's natural to take the utmost care to prevent infections in order to restart not only boxing but also various events. I would like to have a match with each other."