Female boxer dies after amateur bout

[RamboLiberal]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/04/04/boxer.death.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

A female boxer who died from injuries sustained in a Colorado Golden Gloves boxing match this weekend is believed to be the first woman to die in an amateur boxing match in the United States.

Becky Zerlentes, 34, of Fort Collins died Sunday afternoon, said Howard Daniel of the Denver County coroner's office. A preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Results from an autopsy conducted Monday were not immediately available.

Zerlentes was hit by a punch by her opponent, Heather Schmitz, and despite wearing protective headgear, fell unconscious to the canvas during the third round of her match late Saturday, USA Boxing spokeswoman Julie Goldsticker said.

Ringside physicians jumped into the ring but Zerlentes never regained consciousness and died several hours later at a hospital.



Becky Zerlentes, left, boxes against Heather Schmitz on Saturday, before Zerlentes was knocked out. She died Sunday. A preliminary autopsy lists the cause of death as a subdural hematoma.

More Extensive stories:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_3676015,00.html

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E76%257E2798915,00.html

[Stuckinthebush]

1. Well, boxing is not the smartest thing to do

if you don't want to risk death or disability.

I would have thought that with protective head gear, she would have been pretty safe from a death blow, but I guess the right hit at the right place at the right time can do it no matter what protective gear you have on.

Sad.

[AngryAmish]

24. Head gear does nothing to protect against brain injury

They protect the hands of the other boxer and prevent cuts on the wearer of the gear.

[Stuckinthebush]

67. Didn't know that...

Thanks.

[MindPilot]

2. I still don't believe in this day and age that

beating someone to death is considered sport. Women doing it makes it even more repulsive.

[prodigal_green]

8. women are beaten to death every day

at least she was hitting back.

[bitchkitty]

11. They aren't beaten by other women -

and violence isn't the answer to violence, even if boxing did have anything to do with domestic violence. Come to think of it, maybe there is a correlation. People who enjoy watching other people get pounded and knocked out, who enjoy watching the blood fly and the sight of people inflicting pain on each other, are probably much more likely to be violent themselves.

Boxing is almost as repulsive as dogfighting.

[prodigal_green]

21. Oh, I totally agree with you

my point is that this should highlight domestic violence issues too. Seeing a woman beaten to death in the ring ought to call to mind the fact that hundreds, if not thousands of women are beaten to death all of the time, and they do not have the same level of agency that an athlete does.

I never understood why people enjoy watching boxing.

[AngryAmish]

25. This is stupid

Boxing is the greatest sport.

[Sterling]

29. Boxing is a great sport.

I used to box now I fight MMA. In MMA we barely have pading on our hands and I can't think of one death at least in the UFC.

It is really sad this happened. I think MMA fights don't have as much risk of serious brain injury because the fights are usually stopped before anyone can take too many blows to the head.

In boxing you can go for a long time taking hits and not really feel it until later. It's a risky sport but a great artform IMHO.

[bitchkitty]

44. I don't see the art,

but you're entitled I guess. There are so many other ways to express strength, agility and beauty of form than beating the shit out of another human being.

edited for grammar

[northzax]

57. see, that's the point

this wasn't a boxing match, in which two evenly matched competitors a fighting, it was a beating.

Boxing is a beautiful sport, but there is very little boxing left in the US these days, the glory of the KO and the heavyweight class fascination have removed much of what was once lovely about it. Well trained and matched boxers can fight 12 rounds without doing all that much physical damage to each other (you are taking the same amount of punishment in a football or rugby game or a greco-roman wrestling match, after all) but when one fighter is outclassed, serious injuries and death happen.

This is especially prevelant in the world of women's boxing, since there are fewer established and trained fighters and a less structured hierarchy, so you are more likely to have a weak-strong matchup. And, (sexism aside) women cannot hit as hard as men (as a general rule) which leads to fewer quick knockouts and more drubbings. One blow to the head that knocks you out is less likely to do serious damage than when it takes 30 (the brain bounces around a lot more) It's sad, and the people involved in this fight should be shunned. And maybe boxing should vanish back underground for a while.

I, personally, would never pay to see women fight. not because the concept disgusts me, but because they simply aren't good enough (and this comes from a male with season tickets to the WNBA) to waste money on. I'd rather pay to watch women wrestling in jello, at least then I'd get some purient satisfaction.

[Sterling]

62. I agree with that.

Mismatches can create oppertunities for injury. You are right. In the old days the went dozens of rounds with no gloves as a matter of common practice. And I hate to be sexist but I don't think watching girls fight is as rewarding as men. But that's just me and I am sure I am going to hell for think that and that womens B ball is hella boring too.

I like watching a good match or bout but watching a beatdown just makes me feel bad.

[bitchkitty]

43. Because of, or in spite of the

risk of death or permanent injury?

[Sterling]

54. I never said it was for everyone.

death and permanent injury are not the norm either. Football is dangerous too. You don't like football either? Lots of sports and activities come with an understood level of risk to the person taking part.

[LoganW]

55. Wrong

Plenty of my gay friends have gotten pissed off with their gf/bf and have hit each other before. Certainly not as bad a heterosexuals though.

[Sterling]

63. My male gay friends tell me abouy some serious beatdowns

between couples. I met one guy that said he and his BF would get drunk and beat eachother up for fun. Sounds like some of the guys I went to school with that were very homophobic actually.

[donheld]

47. It's repulsive regardless of gender

too me this is NOT entertainment.

[NV Whino]

3. Is it too late to insert a feeding tube?

[bitchkitty]

12. You are so bad n/t

[NV Whino]

45. Can't he'p it.

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Very sad. Here's her website

http://au.frcc.cccoes.edu/~beckyz/index.htm

She was a geography and economics instructor. ("I'm particularly interested in the maquiladora sector in Mexico and the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on plant locations and abatement decision-making.")

"My hobbies include martial arts and boxing..."

[Bhaisahab]

7. shucks man. her bio is so impressive

what the hell was she trying to prove by taking up boxing? i agree with posters above that boxing is a gross, barbaric sport. and i think this lady had so much more going for her that popping it in a boxing ring is a waste of a good life.

"My current research interests include regional development and spatial and dynamic modeling. I'm particularly interested in the maquiladora sector in Mexico and the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on plant locations and abatement decision-making."
-- from her web page

[RamboLiberal]

9. Speaking as a female and a martial artist

I always thought it stupid to get in to something where you took repeated blows to the head. That was one reason I never had much of an interest in martial arts tournament fighting. I thought it stupid to take repeated blows to body and head in quest of some stupid plastic trophy that only gathered dust and would break easily.

A death in the ring in this day and age no matter whether male or female is such a waste. What is being proven?

Amazing what we are willing to sacrifice in the name of sport or a better body.

Reading this woman's bio - what a waste!

[Sterling]

31. To me it has never been about a trophy.

It has always been a way to test myself. As I get older it becomes more and more a challenge to my own limits. A lot of people don't need to be competitive to test themselves. I understand that.

[RamboLiberal]

41. So you can go out there and test yourself but not take blows

to the head.

But after seeing a couple of serious injuries caused by out of control fighters who thought it was a street fight and not a fight for a plastic trophy my better sense said it was better to be walking in to work the next day than spending time in the hospital or ER.

I'm as competitive as the next person, but I figured God gave me only one brain and I'm going to do all I can to protect it.

The other thing I always thought was silly was doing head breaks of concrete and wood. After trying a couple of times and ringing my bell even though I did it correctly on wood - I found it stupid!

[Sterling]

64. Actually taking blows is part of the challenge.

And yes I can do that, as of yet it is still very legal.

"But after seeing a couple of serious injuries caused by out of control fighters who thought it was a street fight and not a fight"

I am not sure what you witnessed but in reality street fighters get their asses kicked in the ring. Boxing and MMA. If they are not following the rules of the sport then it is up to the offical to stop the fight. Whatever you watched does not sound like a legit competition.

[KittyWampus]

51. I'm Also A Female Martial Artist & Find Western Style Boxing Absurd.

It relies so much on muscular strength and using physical weight and expanding ones capacity to absorb blows.

It makes humans look animalistic... literally.

Edit: I've never even contemplated competition. The goal for me is spiritual advancement and expanding my understanding of my own potential.

[K8-EEE]

19. Interested In Your Banner There --- The Canadian Brigade?

I guess that was a Canadian unit in the Spanish Civil War? It's very cool....a lot of people don't know how many Americans, Canadians & people from all over the world fought the fascists in Spain. I have this book called Madrid 1936 with photos and letters home from the soldiers, it is such a fascinating subject for me.

[Minstrel Boy]

68. Yup, they were called the "Mac-Paps,"

after Mackenzie and Papineau, who led rebellions against the British in Upper and Lower Canada in 1837.

The stories of the international brigades, and of the Spanish Civil War itself, are very affecting to me.

[slackmaster]

5. Boxing is barbaric - Olympic rules should be adopted

The protective headgear worn in Olympic boxing prevents the most serious injuries suffered by US-style boxers.

[goddess40]

10. We should do away with boxing

it is truely a sick event.

[amazona]

14. all sport has risk

She went out doing what she loved, may we all be so lucky.

People are killed every day in "healthy" sport like riding bikes. Life is risk and challenge. The couch potato will outlive us all but did he really live?

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[goddess40]

15. letting someone beat your head in is different than an accident

The main goal of boxing is to knock someone down or out. I stand by my vote that boxing is sick and it's even sicker to watch it, much less pay for the privilege.

[ucmike]

18. the goal is to win the match, not to ko.

that's one way to win, but having better technique, training and skill can also allow a judges decision. lots of champion fighters made careers out of being faster and better, and not by amassing a record of knockouts.

[amazona]

20. we'll have to agree to disagree on this one

Nothing sick at all in my humble opinion about a strong, intelligent, educated female making a choice of the sport that spoke to her body and soul. Sometimes some of us have to push our comfort zone, and sometimes such challenges involve contest with another human being. No doubt there are some boxing fans you wouldn't want to bring home to meet Mother, but we could say the same of any sport.

I doubt she would want the take-away lesson of her accidental death to be that no woman, or no human, should ever be allowed to play her sport again.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Massachusetts]

50. Quick hand me a Pretzel!

[oldcoot]

73. My version of hell is living to a ripe -old age

and then spending the last years of my life regretting all the things that I did not do because I was afraid to try them.

Although I am not a fan of boxing, I do support the right of men and women to participate in this sport. Adults do have the right to make decisions about their own lives even if those decisions involve risks.

[sandnsea]

22. baseball has highest fatality rate

3-4 kids die each year from baseball injuries. Boxing is actually one of the safer sports. And the goal isn't to pummel somebody to death. There really isn't anything sick about physical defense.

http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/orthopaedics/stats.html

[daleo]

30. I don't know if they are really expressing risk properly.

They list 3 or 4 deaths per year, but the proper rate for comparison would be deaths per population at risk over an equivalent time interval (epidemiologically speaking). I have to think many, many more kids play baseball than participate in boxing, so the comparison is not valid from that point of view. Not only that, but you really need a rate that expresses comparable measures of exposure (per hour of activity for example).

[sandnsea]

42. No

The rate of head injury is actually lower in amateur boxing than in football, soccer or hockey. Study after study has proven that. Here's an article, 10 amateur boxing deaths since 1979. It really has less injuries than just about any other sport. Doctors examine the kids before they get in the ring, each and every time. Doctors are there if a kid gets hurt and marks their boxing book so they can't box for a specific period of time. My boys boxed, played football and basketball, and ran track. One injury in boxing, which the doctor actually said may not have even been related to the boxing. Multiple injuries in the other sports. I worried about them every time they did any sport, there's always risk.

http://www.coloradoan.com/news/coloradoanpublishing/Legislature2004/021004_boxing.html

[daleo]

46. I won't dispute you on the point.

I am just pointing out the difficulty of comparing risk across activities from an empirical point of view. For example, if you compare traveling in a car and traveling on a bicycle, the degree of calculated risk varies greatly by whether you measure it in fatalities per mile traveled or fatalities per hour of traveling. The former makes the car look safer, the latter makes the bicycle look safer. The difference of course is that cars typically go much faster than bikes, so you cover more ground in the same amount of time.

Which measure is valid would depend on the purpose of the study, I suppose. People often don't consider these aspects of comparing risk unless they have read or thought a lot on the subject. And often studies have a political subtext, as you pointed out in your example of comparing boxing and other contact sports.

[Sterling]

60. My boys boxed, played football and basketball, and ran track.

I too played multiple sports in HS and was hurt worst in a basketball game. I have been a little dizzy after a 3 round amateur fight but never the kind of injury I received from sports that were supposedly not dangerous.

[AngryAmish]

26. The headgear does nothing to prevent brain injuries

They give the audience a false sense of security.

[slackmaster]

28. I thought the padding reduced the G forces on the brain

Can you direct me to some scholarly information about this topic?

[AngryAmish]

32. I'm too lazy to get a link

However, vast majority of knockouts come from hitting someone on "the button" ie end of the jaw. That causes the head to spin around. Your brain is not really connected to your skull (imagine an ice cube in a glass of water - you turn the glass and the cube does not immediately turn.) So the skull turns really fast and the skull comes into contact with the brain, this causes one to lose coordination and thus the knockout.

The headgear does not protect against getting hit on the button.

Trust me, it feels the same getting hit anywhere on the head with or without headgear. I've done it.

[Sterling]

34. Trust me, it feels the same getting hit anywhere on the head with or witho

That is clearly false.

[AngryAmish]

38. Not in my experience

After, when your head is swelling up, there is a lot of difference. But during the match it all kinda feels the same.

[Sterling]

56. In a real fight you get contusions easy as well as cut easier.

The damage to the brain can occur in either situation I agree but there is a big difference between getting punched bare knuckle and with a 10. oz glove on.

[northzax]

59. sure, you can hit harder with a glove on

since you won't break your knuckles...

[Sterling]

61. Most people hit just as hard in a street fight. Maybe harder.

I know I do. Unless you plan on hitting a brick wall (I have and don't recomend it) you probably wont break any knuckles.

Actually boxing the punches slow down after a while due to the fact you get tired after a round or so. When I box I am usually trying harder to actually land a blow than to put all my power behind it.

Not to say my punches are not hard but not just a matter of winding up for a knockout punch every blow, that gets guys beat.

[northzax]

65. true, but there are two major differences

first off, street fights rarely last longer than 5 minutes. two, most people aren't trained in how to punch effectively, or strong enough to do it.

[Sterling]

69. last longer than 5 minutes

that is also why MMA fights don't end up with some one dead. They don't last as long.

[slackmaster]

40. Thanks!

I've never had the pleasure and don't intend to seek it.

[Sterling]

33. you are right it does help but not eliminate the risk.

It helps stop contusions and gives a little bit of shock absorption.

[daleo]

6. Life imitates art

I didn't see the movie, but it seems somewhat reminiscent of the latest Clint Eastwood movie.

[msmcghee]

16. I just saw it this weekend . .

. . I don't follow the awards but I understand that it did very well and Gibson's Passion was pretty much ignored. I won't give anything away but I see now why the fundies are so pissed off about it as the message is quite opposite from the fundie's worldview.

Let's just say I thought it was a very good movie.

About combat and war and fighting . . .

Fifty years ago those were seen as honorable but necessary to do in order that the good triumph over the bad things in life. Warriors and combatants, our cops and our soldiers were the good guys and the heroes. America had a common set of values which included a whole lot of taking care of the little guys against the bullies - whether it was happening in Manila or Chicago.

We kids came home from playing outside every nite at 5:00 before dinner to listen to our favorite radio serials. These were Sgt. Preston of the Yukon and the Lone Ranger and other heroes who took on the bullies of the world. Today's kids fight senseless violent video games against anybody that bleeds good. It's all about the violence - with no connection to values at all.

Now, the bullies run things - and the sad part is we elected them. Our sports heroes take drugs - they inject, clip, hold, travel and foul their way to championships - and as long as they don't get caught nobody minds, especially if it's our team and they win.

Teachers cheat to help their classes reach the standards - and kids cheat so they won't actually have to learn anything. Politicians stack the courts and appoint partisan election supervisors.

We have become a nation of cheaters and bullies and thugs - the bad guys my heroes used to fight against. Things are so far out of whack I think we'll need to pay some very heavy dues before things ever get right again.

:rant:

[Demit]

13. I guess it was inevitable that there would be a first one.

I never understood boxing anyway.

[ucmike]

17. she did it cause it was exciting.

the risk is the reward. she knew what she did was dangerous, if it wasn't everyone would do it. she was a dedicated athlete who clearly understood the risks and approached them accordingly.

boxing and martial arts aren't for everyone, but lots of other "non-extreme" sports are dangerous. i would bet that mountain biking and rock climbing kill way more people every year, but boxing deaths always bring outrage because of the nature of the sport. for the number of people competing in combat arts the number of fatalities is surprisingly low and in comparison to some of the more popular sports the bottom line is that very few fighters get killed or seriously injured.

as far as head gear goes... many people in the fight community feel that the use of head gear leads to long term head injury. the thought is that the padding allows many more blunt impacts to the head than a fighter could tolerate otherwise. fighters who would otherwise be knocked out early, or get tko'd for cuts stand around a ring absorbing blows they shouldn't. basically its better to take a few punches and get knocked out than to stand around all night getting hit repeatedly.

[demnan]

23. Well if cock fighting is illegal

I think human fighting should be to.

[AngryAmish]

27. cockfighting is not illegal everywhere

[Sterling]

36. Unfortunately it's not.

My old home state still alows it. Fucking dumbass hillbilly's.

[AngryAmish]

39. It is legal in Mexico

Are they fucking dumbass mexicans?

[Sterling]

35. Humans get to choose to fight.

Animals do not. That is the difference to me.

[0007]

37. One would think that humanity would grow weary of such a so called

barbaric sport that labels the human being as the dumbest in the animal kingdom.

[Sterling]

58. Of all the things to hope for these days keeping people from

participating in a sport is not really high on my list.

[Moderator]

48. kick to combine

[ckramer]

49. Woman boxer dies in ring, punched on the head

A women boxer died as a result of injuries she sustained in a Golden Gloves competition here Sunday.

Becky Zerlentes, 34, of Fort Collins, a college teacher by profession and who had won a regional boxing title three years ago, died of severe head injuries, the first woman to die in a sanctioned bout. The detailed results from an autopsy were not immediately available.

Zerlentes was fighting Heather Schmitz, and despite wearing protective headgear, she fell unconscious after a heavy punch during the third round of the bout on late Saturday.

link

[progressivebydesign]

52. I'll never understand violence as entertainment. Humans are sick n/t

[raccoon]

53. they talked about this on CBS news last night

and I don't see why this is news.

Another shining example of how the MSM spends so much time covering stories that aren't really important--and NOT covering those that are important.

I'm sorry that happened, but I don't see why it should get that much attention.

[sendero]

66. People die every day in sports..

.... but somehow this just really makes me sad. What a waste.

[geniph]

70. This is very sad, but it can happen in ANY sport

I watched a fellow player get hauled off the field, unconscious, when I was playing co-ed recreational soccer. He died of a subdural hematoma an hour later. It can happen in softball, soccer, basketball, ice-skating, BOWLING for chrissake - you can hit your head and die in a freak accident in ANY sport. It's most likely to happen in team sports, because that's when you're likely to have someone else fall on top of you.

I personally don't find most boxing all that appealing - the fascination with KO's has taken a lot of the grace and skill out of it - but it IS a legitimate athletic pursuit for many, many practitioners. I choose not to watch it myself, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the skill and training that goes into it. It's not necessarily an inherent risk of boxing; most boxers don't die in the ring.

[Cornczech]

71. hmmm....

I don't know about the "if you like to watch violent sports, you're violent" comment...

I am female....I was beaten brutally by parents and an ex-husband (I left him after the first punch...you don't hit THIS Texas gal twice)and I enjoy boxing (and yes...even hockey). AM I violent? ONly if someone comes after me first....and I HAVE hit a boyfriend when he had me in a corner, screaming in my face....so...am I really VIOLENT? I like to watch boxing because of the "art"..not the hitting...I enjoy the blocking....the sport of two men (never watch women boxing) "fighting" one another is, to me, NOT about the FIGHT...but about the maneuvering and skill of dodging that swing/punch...that well place hit against a well defended cheek...these guys aren't PISSED off at each other and out to kill...it's a SPORT!

but this is all my OPINION...anyways. DOn't go against it...I might get violent...(hehehe) (I'm not serious, for you humorless ones out there)

Peace, Ya'll

[byronius]

72. Strangely, I find myself not disapproving of this.

I prefer the martial arts myself, and just sparring for fun is a blast, but I don't think death or disabling is common in women's boxing, or in boxing in general, except for perhaps the super-professional types.

There's worse ways to die. For instance, you're marching on the electronic voting tabulation center at GOP headquarters, and they fry you with one of those new sonic/microwave antipersonnel weapons...

Perhaps we should all toughen up like Becky.