A promotion in West Virginia is hosting a child boxing fight involving nine-year-olds.

  • According to the article it has less CTE risk than football, but then again that’s probably a pretty low bar. Personally, I think combat sports can be great for kids as long as they’re wearing plenty of protection and padding. Learning to hit the various bags and lightly sparring with friends under close supervision shouldn’t be dangerous, which is probably where that stat comes from. However, that’s very different from having an actual boxing match inside a ring. When it’s less about having fun and more about punching your way to glory you significantly increase the odds of getting hurt.