Male boxers welcome no-headguards decision at Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO - Male boxers at the Rio Olympics supported the decision to shed protective headguards for the first time in Olympic competition since Los Angeles 1984 for safety reasons.

Many boxers praised the change. Jason Whateley, the boxer of the men's heavy (91kg) event, said after training session: "With a headguard on, you do sit there and allow yourself to cop too many punches and the judges don't like that."

"You don't feel them so much. But without the headguard, there's a bit more of a sting because you're getting hit straight on the skin, so you get the feeling that you have to get out of trouble."

Shan Jun of China, who ended his Olympic journey on Saturday after the first round of the men's light (60kg) preliminaries, said he liked competing without the headguards.

"Without them you have a better overall view of everything and you can see what's coming at you.

"The headguards slip as well while you fight. You might be in the middle of throwing a combination and it can slip down and throw you off a bit," he added.

The risk of concussion has been reduced since the decision was taken by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) that headgear should be discarded from all their tournaments from the 2013 world championships.

The decision was endorsed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in March this year.

Light flyweight (46-49kg) athlete Galal Yafai of Britain said headguards tended to increase the impact of blows rather than cushioning them.

"Taking a punch with a headguard on, you might feel a bit dazed or see a few stars," he said. "I don't know one boxer that liked wearing headguards."

"The main reason for this is health-related," said William Louis-Marie, communications director of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), at the Olympic boxing draw ceremony on Thursday.

"Following the removal on headguards in AIBA tournaments from the 2013 world championships onwards, we've seen a real drop in the number of concussions, up to 43%."

Without headguards boxers are more prone to cuts to the head and this exposes them to the risk of being ruled out of a tournament on medical grounds.

"I think it could potentially affect result," Shan said. "So while I prefer fighting without a headguard, I have mixed emotions about it. If a cut forced you out of the tournament. I guess it just means you've got to be cautious about where you put your head."

The women's boxing tournament in Rio will be staged with headguards.