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The Panamanian boxing scene, which was reminded of just how dangerous the sport can be two and one-half years ago when local hero Pedro Alcázar collapsed and died after having lost his world championship in a Las Vegas ring, has again been reminded of the safety issues involved.

In the final asalto of a hard-fought 12-round bout in Colon’s Panama Al Brown Arena, Ricardo Córdoba held onto his FEDELATIN bantamweight crown by pounding Colombian Carlos Meza to the canvas for the knockout. The ringside doctor sent Meza to Amador Guerrero Hospital for further examinations and x-rays, and while under observation the prizefighter took a turn for the worse and was transferred by ambulance to Santo Tomas Hospital in the capital.

There it was determined that blood vessels in Meza’s brain had been ruptured and the resulting blood clots had greatly aggravated his injury, to the point that as this issue was uploaded a couple of days later the young man remained in critical condition.

Unlike the case of Pedro Alcázar, in this instance it was immediately known that Meza had suffered a serious injury. The problem is, however, that at Amador Guerrero they didn’t have the equipment to quickly know just how bad it was. There are drugs that limit blood clotting and the death of brain cells in the wake of strokes or head injuries, but these are most effectively used when there has been a precise diagnosis, generally done with the help of a CAT scan.

In the United States there has been a movement for a professional boxing reform that would require a post-fight CAT scan for every fighter who has been knocked out or, whether winning or losing, has taken a serious pounding in the ring. Leading this movement are former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, who suffers from severe Parkinsonism as the result of his boxing injuries, and Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona. However, boxing promoters led by Don King object to the expense that the requirement would impose and their lobbying has stymied efforts to enact the reform by US federal legislation. Had Muhammad Ali and John McCain been successful on their first attempt, it is very likely that Pedro Alcázar would be alive today, as he had precisely the sort of undetected but treatable injury that a CAT scan would pick up.

In Meza’s case the main public policy issue that is raised is not especially boxing-related, but rather the medical equipment and expertise available at public health care facilities outside of the capital. This country has excellent trauma specialists with modern facilities at their disposal --- including neurosurgeons whose skills are sometimes needed in cases of closed head injuries --- but all of these tend to be concentrated in Panama City. This is also the case with many other medical specialties, and the uneven distribution of national medical assets is an issue upon which Health Minister Camilo Alleyne commented soon after his appointment.

It remains to be seen whether Meza’s injury will prompt renewed public debate about either boxing reform or the nation’s health care priorities. For now, boxing fans and people of good will are mainly hoping for Meza’s survival and full recovery.

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