Some men consider being punched in the face “a form of therapy”, according to Caleb Valeri, founder of amateur fighting competition The Hood Contender.
While there is prize money up for grabs, Valeri says the competition isn’t about the cash. Its purpose, he says, is men’s health.
“There are men out there that enjoy punching other men and being punched in the face as a form of therapy,” Valeri told 7.30.
“It is no different to someone who likes to swim or paint or drink wine at the beach with their friend.“
Founder Caleb Valeri says The Hood Contender has “saved blokes’ lives”. (ABC News: Eddy Gill)
The events are a modified version of boxing that takes place in a smaller area, surrounded by hay bales.
The most recent event was held at a gym on the Gold Coast that has been converted into the so-called “Hood Colosseum”.
“It is stand-up boxing, hand-to-hand combat, no kicking, no grappling, none of that. So it is pure boxing with MMA (mixed-martial arts) gloves,” Valeri said.
When 7.30 visits, the fighters in the ring are Stephen Gardiner and Sebastian Va’auli. Their bout delivers on a promise of intensity, but also, brutality.
The fights take place in a gym which has been converted into a “Hood Colosseum”. (ABC News: Eddy Gill)
The two exchange hefty blows until a well-placed right hand from Va’auli drops Gardiner.
The fight is stopped and the crowd erupts.
Trainer Damien Waenga treats a bloodied and bruised Gardiner.
Va’auli has won, but his night ends there, with an eye injury.
Fighting for something bigger
The Hood Contender is described as “stand-up boxing, hand-to-hand combat, no kicking, no grappling”. (ABC News: Eddy Gill)
The Hood Contender is just one of the new amateur fighting concepts popping up across Australia and the world.
Some have sought to captivate online audiences. But The Hood Contender pitches itself distinctively.
On its website it says it is a place for men who struggle and are “seeking a positive outlet to release their demons with honour and respect”.
“People criticise The Contender because they do not understand it. But we have saved blokes’ lives,” Valeri told 7.30.
“We had a bloke before who used to fight, loved fighting, fell off, got very unhealthy, started smoking, started drinking and that, and we gave him the spark back.”
Participants like Stephen Gardiner see the sport as a positive outlet. (ABC News: Craig Hansen)
Death by suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for men and women aged 15-44. For men the rates are three times higher, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Valeri himself is seeking redemption after a life that had gone off track.
“I grew up pretty rough [in] housing commission, struggled quite a bit my whole life. Indulged in criminal activity, drugs, alcohol, for a number of years there,” he said.
“That led me down a path of destruction, put me in jail and unfortunately I paid the consequences for that.
“I had a lot of time to understand pain in jail.”
His criminal convictions include breaching an apprehended domestic violence order, assault and stalking.
Stephen Gardiner says he knows he’s “doing the right thing” when he’s at The Hood Contender. (ABC News: Craig Hansen)
Gardiner said he too has used this activity to help him stay out of trouble.
“Drugs, alcohol, it is all around us in the hood,” he said.
“Every day I am battling with something, keeping those demons away … if I am doing this, I know I am doing the right thing.”
‘Deeply disturbing’
Michael Buckland, founder of the Australian Sports Brain Bank, is worried about “the proliferation of these less regulated combat sports”. (ABC News: Craig Hansen)
Whatever benefits there might be to these men’s mental health, associate professor of neuropathology at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred hospital, Michael Buckland, said the inherent risks of combat sports are alarming.
“I find it deeply disturbing,” Dr Buckland told 7.30.
Michael Buckland and a colleague look at brain tissue samples. (ABC News: Craig Hansen)
“This is a sport, like several others, that one of its main purposes is to cause a traumatic brain injury in your opponent. That is how you knock them out.“
He says that the less regulated a combat sport is, the greater the risk it poses.
“At least since 1994 Australia’s peak medical bodies have recommended that boxing be banned,” Buckland said.
“Obviously that has not happened and unfortunately what we are seeing now is the proliferation of these less regulated combat sports, which are potentially even worse than boxing when it comes to brain damage.”
Only in Queensland
The Hood Contender has not been approved to be held anywhere outside of Queensland. (ABC News: Eddy Gill)
Whether an event like The Hood Contender can legally operate a ticketed event depends on what part of Australia it is held in.
It has not been allowed to host an event anywhere other than Queensland.
In most parts of Australia, by law an organiser must apply for a costly permit either to a combat authority or a sports commission to prove they can run a combat event safely.
However in Queensland there is no sports commission or combat authority that needs to approve these events going ahead.
Instead the state relies on self-regulation, something sports lawyer Tim Fuller is critical of.
“We do not have an overarching authority [in Queensland] to police or regulate these types of sports or competitions. I think that is a concern for a lot of people that are involved in the sport or fans of the sport,” Mr Fuller said.
Many combat sports rely on rules and governance that have been set out for decades.
“Various sports, judo, karate, whatever it might be, are governed by their rules and governing bodies, but not by law,” he said.
Sports lawyer Tim Fuller is concerned that competitions like The Hood Contender are self-regulated. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)
The Hood Contender has no governing body so they make their own rules and safety protocols.
And it is not the only fighting competition that has sought safe harbour in the Sunshine State.
A bare-knuckle boxing tournament that was denied approval to host an event in Western Australia earlier this year moved to Queensland, where it took place in September.
Mr Fuller was alarmed by the move.
“For the promoters to basically pick up their kit and go across the country to Queensland and hold it, I think that is really concerning,”
he said.
Queensland Sport Minister and former NRL referee Tim Mander declined an interview with 7.30.
A spokesperson for the minister said in a statement: “While the combat sport sector in Queensland is self-regulated, we will continue to work with the sporting industry to promote best practice and support safety within the sector.”
Sobering reality
Fighters trade blows in the “Hood Colosseum”. (ABC News: Eddy Gill)
Valeri told 7.30 medical professionals were present at the event.
“We have doctors, ambulance staff. So we booked that out of our own money,” he said.
But 7.30 did not see any of these medical professionals, despite asking Valeri to be introduced to them.
“It is difficult, but some people do not want to be associated. We have people who are behind the scenes who do not want to be associated with it yet,” he said, before being questioned on whether this could undermine people’s confidence in the events being safe.
“Oh well, is violence safe?
“Any one punch can change your life. One punch can change the direction of everything,”
he said.
Whatever the medical, moral or legal obligations, The Hood Contender and its organisers have vowed to continue their mission.
“I want to be as big as the UFC one day. A lot of people laugh at that,” Valeri said.
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