November 6, 2018 8:25 pm

Wednesday, Learn the Sweet Science of Boxing from Sugar Ray Leonard

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Not only was Muhammed Ali the greatest, he was also able to distill the sweet science of boxing down to a simple phrase. On this episode of Playing with Science, our hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly go ringside to learn from some of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

We welcome Dr. Anthony Alessi, neurologist and ringside physician for the Connecticut State Boxing Commission, to help us investigate what’s going on behind the jabs, uppercuts, and knockouts. We also sit down with one of the greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Leonard, who takes us inside the ring of some of his most memorable moments.

Find out how boxing differs from any other sport and how Anthony’s main responsibility is making sure that everyone is alive at the end of the night. Anthony takes us inside the brain during a knockout and tells us how cells react after a devastating blow. You’ll learn about the great irony of boxing and why its concussion protocol differs vastly from the likes of professional football. You’ll also hear about bull riding and its vulnerability to concussions.

Anthony tells us about the use of gloves and head guards in amateur and Olympic boxing, and whether head guards will ever transition into the professional realm. You’ll also find out how Anthony uses boxing to help some of his patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Next, Sugar Ray Leonard enters the ring to give us a behind-the-scenes look on his historic career. Sugar Ray shares what it was like to face Roberto Duran twice and how his mentality changed between fights. (You’ll even hear why Sugar Ray contemplated retirement after his first fight with Duran.) Sugar Ray tells us why great fighters have to do more than fight with power, and you’ll hear the origin story behind his name.

To me, boxing is an archaic sport. From a time long gone, paying homage to the gladiator days of old where the only way to solve disputes was to have it out hand-to-hand. Is there a place for boxing in the future landscape of sport? Is it too violent? Like other combat sports, if the “problem” of head injuries can’t be solved will the sport continue to thrive? Should it be allowed? There is no question that boxing enthralls the public and creates a spectacle unlike any other. However, at what cost? As you’ll hear on this episode, this discussion is worthy of a fight.

Please join us tomorrow night for The Sweet Science of Boxing, with Sugar Ray Leonard right here on our website, as well as on our Playing with Science channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen