Opinion: Rabbit Punches and Preventable Deaths

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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In the build-up to the blockbuster showdown between boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. and reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder Conor McGregor on Aug. 26, the idea that others in boxing would want to capitalize on the added publicity should come as no surprise.

That brings us to the tragedy involving former UFC heavyweight Tim Hague, who returned to boxing against Adam Braidwood on June 16 in Edmonton, Alberta. Braidwood won by knockout. Two days later, Hague was dead at the age of 34, having succumbed to traumatic head injuries suffered in the bout.

This is an issue with which we are all too familiar in boxing. Some blame the officiating, which was subpar to be certain. Others blame the existence of a standing eight count, a rule non-existent in MMA, where fights are subjected to quicker stoppages. Still others blame the nature of the sport. However, it is my contention that there was something else going on in the Braidwood-Hague fight, an often-overlooked occurrence that leads to many of the most severe tragedies in boxing. I had seen it happen to a fighter at my own gym. Frankie Leal was a generally likeable and soft-spoken fighter who basically died on television due to what I’m about to address.

The deaths of Leal and Hague are similar for one major reason: The blows that seemed to affect them most were actually illegal punches. These are a scourge in boxing. The irony here is that the poor technique cannot be blamed on the mixed martial artist but on the boxer. They are commonly known as “rabbit punches” or blows that land to the back of the head. In Leal’s fight, the shot that sent him down bounced off the base of his skull; in Hague’s fight, it happened repeatedly.

It’s interesting to note that people were alarmed by the apparent occurrence of low blows in the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev rematch. Similarly, Joseph Agbeko was hit low more than 60 times by Abner Mares without penalty from the referee. There are no harsh penalties for rabbit punching, and unlike low blows, a single well-placed punch to the back of the head can easily kill a man. The brain stem is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. Once it’s significantly damaged, it can be fatal or leave someone permanently disabled. When Leal’s autopsy results came back, the doctor noted that he had already sustained previous significant damage to the brain stem. I knew him when he suffered his knockout loss to Evgeny Gradovich and had his contract with Top Rank terminated. Leal’s managers kept him on the sidelines to heal, then took him to Mexico -- there are no pre-fight MRIs there -- and secured five fights in six months.

Early in Hague’s bout, the referee warned his opponent to not strike the back of the head. Hague had a habit of changing levels to avoid punches, and Braidwood’s response was to wing wide shots, many of which cuffed “The Thrashing Machine” behind the ear and at the base of his skull. During one of the knockdowns, Hague put his glove on the back of his head to alert the referee to an illegal blow. No warning was issued. In all honesty, Hague did not look right after the first knockdown. He showed great heart and determination, but his balance was off and his coordination was compromised. He did not appear to have a stable equilibrium, and shots that should not have hurt him appeared to hurt him significantly. This is when the fight should have been called. However, it was allowed to continue until the final blow connected. The most alarming part was the manner in which Hague’s head -- the back of his head -- bounced off the canvas.

So how do we address this problem? We need to re-prioritize how we view fouls. Low blows are regarded as the most egregious in-ring fouls because all men can relate to the pain involved with them. Why are we not equally concerned with blows that can end someone’s life? Perhaps some fighters do not actually know what to do when an opponent drops his head. I’ve prepared a short tutorial for them.

Luis Monda is currently a full-time boxing trainer at Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas, which is the oldest gym in Sin City. Luis has a deep knowledge of combat sports history, and has spent significant time researching lineages in boxing, specifically. He has been involved in the local-fight scene for nearly a decade: first as a potential competitor, then as the manager of Tocco’s, and now as an instructor to boxers, kickboxers and mixed martial arts fighters.