Headgear only feeds delusion of security

Kudos to International Amateur Boxing Association president Wu Ching-kuo for sticking to his guns regarding the world governing body's decision to remove protective headgear in men's bouts - and possibly extend the ban to women's competition.

What critics of the AIBA initiative have difficulty understanding is that wearing headgear actually makes fighters more susceptible to brain-rattling punishment because it sharply decreases instinctive defense while at the same time heightening the potential for serious facial cuts and eye injuries.

And it doesn't even have to be in a real fight. Anyone who has ever boxed or trained boxers has seen it happen numerous times.