Nutrition in Combat Sports

11 Professional Athlete 179
If the ring physician’s evaluation indicates the contest needs to end, it is appropriate
to step away from the corner, call over the referee, and in a few words make
your recommendations. It is imperative to be calm, firm, and precise. Uncertainty
is a sign of weakness not only to your credibility as a ring physician, but can also
confuse the situation.
More and more professional competitions are televised. Therefore, anything said
in the corner or to the referee can end up in a broadcast. Never get into an argument
about your decision with the fighter or the corner, and use a paucity of words. The
more you say the greater chance it could be misconstrued or used against you.
Remember that the ring physician is there to enable a fight to proceed to its
natural conclusion. Any time you enter the ring between rounds you are disrupting
the action, so do this with as little involvement as possible unless you have it in your
mind the fight should stop. A fight should continue if, to the best of your knowledge,
neither fighter is at risk of permanent or life-threatening injury, and, if the contest
continues, neither competitor is at an unfair disadvantage.
A ring physician must understand the implications in stopping a contest.
Irrespective of the type of injury, the fighter who loses may never have the same
opportunity to further his career. Therefore, even a small non-televised show before
a few hundreds can make or break a career.
Experience will teach you there is a flow to a fight ; there exists a beginning,
middle, and end that can often resemble an opera or ballet. Combined with good
judgment, understanding this flow will enable the ring physician to make the right
decision most of the time. In working a professional contest, few decisions are
made solely on the number of head blows or the extent of the cut. The flow of the
fight can also dictate that the physician evaluate the fighter between rounds, even
though there may not be an exact reason. It can offer reassurance to your commission,
the referee, the corner, and even the fighter. The ring physician and referee
must interpret the interchange between the competitors round to round, and under
most cases, the decision will be simple.
11.5 The One-Eyed Fighter
Invariably during a fight card, the ring physician will have to make a decision
regarding a fighter with periorbital edema. This can be handled in a multitude of
ways. First and foremost, if a fighter cannot see, or adequately protect himself from
punches , the contest must stop immediately. However, during a fight, decisions are
rarely this simple and uncomplicated.
Why is the eye closing? Is the eye closing from too many jabs, an orbital fracture,
nasal fracture, or prior injury? The ring physician should examine the fighter
if he is “pawing” at his eye with his glove or excessively blinking. If the edema is
not interfering with the fighter’s performance, but is steadily advancing, the key
is to examine the orbit and extraocular muscles before the eye can no longer be
easily opened. It the orbit appears to be intact, there is no suggestion of diplopia,