Between rounds: the sixty seconds that decide whether a fight goes on

This film comes from a bout at Manchester Mayhem. The bell goes, the fighters go back to their corners and, for about a minute, everything slows down. For the corner it is time for water, instructions and treatment. For the medical team it is the best look we get at a fighter all fight.

The corner’s minute

A good corner works fast and calmly: breathing, water, ice, any cut work and one or two clear instructions. A corner that knows their fighter well is also an early warning system. If something does not look right, if they are not making sense or not responding the way they normally would, we want the corner to tell us.

What the doctor checks

When we are asked to look at a fighter, or when we are worried ourselves, the check is quick and focused. The Association of Ringside Physicians recommends assessing a fighter with suspected concussion preferably between rounds. In practice we look at:

• Their answers. Do they know where they are, what round it is and who they are fighting?
• Their eyes. Are they tracking, focusing and opening properly? Can they see out of both?
• Their speech, which should be clear and sensible.
• Their balance as they sit and stand.
• Any injury that stops them defending themselves, from a cut affecting vision to a suspected fracture.

When the answer is no

If a fighter cannot answer properly, cannot see properly or shows signs of a brain injury, we advise that the fight does not continue. It is never an easy call in the corner, but it is the right one. Fighters can lose a bout and come back; the aim is to make sure they can.

After the bout

Whatever happens in the corner, every fighter is examined after the bout. A fighter stopped on medical grounds is suspended under the EMMAA protocol and follows a staged return to training before they are cleared to spar or compete again.

A word for corners

Corners are under enormous pressure between rounds, and the instinct is always to get your fighter back out there. But a good corner is also the first line of fighter safety. Throwing in the towel is not a failure; it is often the most skilful thing a coach does all night. If you are not sure, ask us. We would much rather have that conversation on the stool than in the medical room afterwards.