Can Pro Boxers Wear Contacts? Here’s The Answer


Glasses

Wearing contacts while fighting—can be scary. Two things may happen while wearing them inside a boxing ring, for example; first, they may fall and that’ll stop the fight, or, they may put you at a greater risk for eye injury, as your opponent will punch you in the face—and may hurt your eyes.

Both professional and amateur boxers can’t wear contacts while fighting. AIBA, which provides the latest boxing rules, prohibits the use of contacts because it puts both the boxers at greater risk. That’s because it can either fall and hurt one of the fighters, or it can cause damage to the boxer wearing it.

If you want to become a professional boxer and wear glasses, there’s a single question I’ll ask you, how good can you see without your glasses? Well, if the answer is, well, I’ll still see my opponent, then you can start training without worrying too much.

If, on the other hand, your vision is highly impaired without wearing glasses, boxing may not be the most suitable sport for you. That said, there’s always an alternative. For example, the UFC, the most famous MMA platform in the world, does allow the use of contacts.

However, that’s the case because there isn’t nearly as many punches to the face as boxing has. As a result, they believe it should be legal to wear eye-improving assets.

Before we dive in, if you want to learn more about the rules of boxing, be sure to follow the link to an article of mine breaking down all the rules.

Why can’t boxers wear contacts in the ring?

Let’s first understand that wearing glasses while boxing—is impossible, and I don’t think I need to explain why. Two boxers in the ring—constantly trying to hit each other as hard as possible. Oh, yea, and that’s their job.

Boxers can’t wear contacts in the ring, as it’s hazardous to both fighters. That’s because it can fall and cause some injuries. Likewise, it can be harmful to the boxer who’s wearing it, as the other fighter constantly punches him in the face. For that reason, it’s illegal to wear vision-enhancement during a boxing match.

Even if it falls, it can cause shrapnel, which is hazardous in its own. If you need to wear glasses and can’t take them off, it’ll be best to choose another martial art, which doesn’t involve punching as much. Let’s see which martial arts are best for your case.

Can I wear contacts in martial arts?

We now understand why wearing contacts in boxing—is illegal. Likewise, we also can’t wear glasses in the ring, for obvious reasons. So, what do you do if you can’t see without vision-enhancement tools? Well, it’ll be best if you choose another martial art, which allows the use of contacts.

You can wear contacts in various martial arts, such as MMA, BJJ, judo, wrestling, Taekwondo, karate, and even Krav Maga. The UFC, which is the most popular MMA platform in the world, allows the use of contacts, even when it still provides some risk to the user. You can, however, wear contacts safely in grappling styles.

BJJ coach
Photo by Richard Bustos on Unsplash

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for instance, is a fantastic martial art, which focuses on ground grappling. As a result, you’ll be capable of wearing contacts there, without any issues. There are no punches that the opponent throws at you there; as such, it’s much safer than boxing.

MMA is a weird one. Although some fights suddenly turn into boxing matches, wearing contact in the octagon—is legal. As a result, consider doing Mixed Martial Arts, if you must wear glasses or contacts to fight appropriately.

All the other martial arts I mentioned, such as judo, Taekwondo, karate, Krav Maga, and wrestling—allow the use of contacts. These don’t contain as much punching, if at all. As a result, you’d have no issues wearing vision-enhancement tools while practicing or fighting in them.

How do you do boxing if you wear glasses?

As we’ve understood thus far, you can’t do boxing while wearing contacts. Frankly, you can wear them while doing pads or doing punching bag drills. However, don’t have them on while sparring or fighting in a tournament, as they’ll fall off. What are other solutions you can try?

If you have glasses and want to box, you can either not wear any vision-enhancement, or, you can get permanent eye surgery. While I can’t tell you what to do, it’ll be best to try fighting without glasses on, it should be fine as long as you only box close-range. If that’s impossible, it’ll be better to try a grappling martial art.

Boxing isn’t for everyone, I’ll say. You don’t have to learn it to know how to fight. You can even try MMA, which is far more effective for street fighting and overall self-defense. It includes grappling, kicking, and striking. But, it authorizes the use of contacts during a fighting, which is different from boxing.

Should I do boxing if I have glasses?

You shouldn’t do boxing if you have glasses because you can’t wear contacts while fighting. Other martial arts, such as MMA, wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, authorize wearing contacts during fighting. That’s because they don’t include nearly as much as punching as the art of boxing.

So, consider doing one of these fighting styles if you want to keep your eyesight safe. Eventually, numerous eye injuries exists in boxing, as you constantly get punches to the face, even for non-glasses wearers. As a result, it’ll be a sport I won’t recommend if you have some type of vision-impairment issues.

Boxing match
Photo by Jonathan Tomas on Unsplash

Do consider training in a less punching-based martial art, such as the ones I mentioned in the bolded section above. If you want to read about the complete list of the deadliest martial arts that’ll be suitable for your situation, follow the link to learn more.

Final words

If you have some kind of vision impairment issues, consult a professional before making any decisions. The use of contacts, however, is illegal in the art of boxing.

As such, it’ll be best if you try training in a different martial art, which doesn’t favor punching as much. That’ll be, for example, MMA, judo, BJJ, and wrestling.

Moreover, if you must wear glasses while fighting, you should definitely try another martial art, as eye injuries are extremely common in boxing. Eventually, you don’t want to add fuel to the fire.

If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about the best boxers in the world. Knowing them—will allow you to learn from them, and learning from the elite of the elite—is extremely beneficial.

Levi

I've served in the military as a special forces operator for 4-years. In that period, I've trained in many martial arts, including karate, MMA, BJJ, boxing, and even Krav Maga. I want to share my passion with you, so here it is!

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