Cutman

Last updated
Cutman Jacob "Stitch" Duran administers treatment to fighter Wladimir Klitschko. Cutman treating fighter.jpg
Cutman Jacob "Stitch" Duran administers treatment to fighter Wladimir Klitschko.

A cutman is a person responsible for preventing and treating physical damage to a fighter during the breaks between rounds of a full contact match such as a boxing, kickboxing or a mixed martial arts bout. Cutmen typically handle swelling, nosebleeds and lacerations. In addition to degrading a fighter's performance, the rules of combat sports stipulate that these injuries can be a cause for premature match stoppage, counting as a loss to the injured fighter. The cutman is therefore essential to the fighter, and can be a decisive factor in the outcome of the match.

Contents

The compensation for cutmen varies, generally within 10–15% of the fighter's prize money. [1] For many fighters on a low budget, the cutman duties are performed by their cornerman. While most athletic commissions require cutmen to be licensed, there is usually no formal training or certification required. Most cutmen learn their trade through apprenticeship and self-education.

Unlike boxing, cutmen for mixed martial arts events are generally provided by the promotion, rather than the fighter's corner. This is to prevent allegations of "greasing" (applying petroleum jelly to areas other than the forehead, which provides an unfair advantage in grappling situations).

Cutmen should not be confused with the fight physician, an official who monitors the health of the fighters and whose task is closer to that of a neutral referee. The fight physician provides medical advice, monitors the safety of both fighters in accordance with regulations or law, and evaluates their ability to continue fighting.

Treatments

Before the fight, cutmen will usually put petroleum jelly on the most likely areas of impact, especially the fighter's face, making the skin more elastic and slippery, and hence less likely to tear. It is not considered good practice to use large amounts of petroleum jelly, since during the fight it is likely to end up on the gloves of the opponent, and later in the eyes of the fighter if the opponent lands a punch close to their eyes. Cutmen might also tape fighters' hands, which helps protect the bones and tendons. Wraps are used during training but are illegal during competition, though people still commonly use the term "wrap" in error to describe the taping method of using gauze and tape.

During the fight, cutmen try to control any swelling or bleeding during the breaks between rounds. Since cutmen are not doctors, and have a very short period of time to treat the fighter, their treatments are limited to advanced first aid treatments.

Swelling

A standard enswell used by cutmen to reduce swelling from facial injuries. Enswell.JPG
A standard enswell used by cutmen to reduce swelling from facial injuries.

Swelling is usually associated with facial hematomas (bruiseslocalized bleeding outside of blood vessels), and is traditionally reduced by applying firm pressure with a chilled enswell or an ice bag on top of the area of trauma. [2] The cutman presses the enswell against a fighter's skin to cool and reduce swelling from injuries, especially in areas around the eyes where swelling can impair vision. Since the time between rounds is very short, cutmen try to apply the enswell right away and hold it as long as they can, but a common mistake is using the enswell to push directly on the swollen area in an attempt to disperse it or move it into a safer place such as away from the eye. [3] Such treatment will not move the hematoma, and may disrupt the microscopic blood vessels under the skin, thus causing an increase in bleeding and enlargement of the swelled area.[ citation needed ]

PFC Raelina Shinn (left) battles on with a nosebleed during the first female fight in the Armed Forces Boxing Championships. BoxingNosebleed.jpeg
PFC Raelina Shinn (left) battles on with a nosebleed during the first female fight in the Armed Forces Boxing Championships.

Cuts

Cuts (lacerations) are the primary focus of the cutman because unless the bleeding is stopped promptly, the fight physician may stop the fight and declare that the injured fighter has lost the match. Physicians also will stop a match for a laceration that is perpendicular to the eye. The most common area of the face to be cut is around the eye. Cuts are treated by applying a cold towel to clean and simultaneously cool the area of the cut, causing a decrease in blood flow. A cotton swab soaked in epinephrine is applied with pressure to decrease blood flow even more, and Avitene™ (an active absorbable collagen hemostat proven to accelerate clot formation) is put into the cut to coagulate the blood. [1] A cutman might also cover the area with petroleum jelly to prevent further damage.

Nosebleeds

Most nosebleeds occur near the opening of the nose. To stop the bleeding, cutmen generally apply a cotton swab soaked in epinephrine to the damaged area, while simultaneously pressing the nostril against the cotton swab with the other hand. Once the bleeding has stopped, the area is chilled with an ice pack or an enswell. The fighter is usually instructed to breathe through the mouth during the treatment. [2]

A broken nose is a more difficult case, and can be detected by a heavy flow of dark colored blood from the nose. The bleeding is generally treated the same way; however, the fighter is usually instructed to avoid swallowing blood as it may induce nausea or vomiting, and the cutman is more likely to consult the ringside physician to ensure the fighter's safety.

Tools

Equipment

Medications

Cutmen used to[ when? ] create their own medications, and the recipes were passed from masters to apprentices as trade secrets. Today,[ when? ] the use of various medications in sports is highly controlled, and most[ quantify ] cutmen use only two or three standard medications from the list below.

Notable cutmen

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Whisler, John (2004). "Battered boxers want Joe Souza in their corner" Archived 2006-06-14 at the Wayback Machine . www.mysanantonio.com. URL last accessed May 9, 2006.
  2. 1 2 Tenny, Dave (2002). "How to Use Enswell and Take Care of a Nosebleed" Archived 2006-04-27 at the Wayback Machine . www.thecutman.com. URL last accessed March 18, 2006.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Guzman, Trinidad; Duran, Jacob (2004). "Boxing through the eyes of a cutman" Archived 2006-05-04 at the Wayback Machine . www.fightnews.com. URL last accessed March 18, 2006.
  4. Davol, Inc. Avitene Microfibrillar Collagen Hemostat Instructions for Use Archived 2006-03-13 at the Wayback Machine . www.davol.com. URL last accessed March 20, 2006.
  5. Chuck Bodak passes Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine Fightnews.com, February 6, 2009

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing</span> Full contact combat sport

Boxing is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Durán</span> Panamanian world champion boxer (b. 1951)

Roberto Durán Samaniego is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, as well as reigns as the undisputed and lineal lightweight champion, and the lineal welterweight champion. He is also the second boxer to have competed over a span of five decades, the first being Jack Johnson. Durán was known as a versatile, technical brawler and pressure fighter, which earned him the nickname of "Manos de Piedra" for his formidable punching power and excellent defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar Ray Leonard</span> American boxer

Ray Charles Leonard, best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professionally between 1977 and 1997, winning world titles in five weight classes; the lineal championship in three weight classes; as well as the undisputed welterweight championship. Leonard was part of the "Four Kings", a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of Leonard, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Marvin Hagler. Leonard also won a light welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petroleum jelly</span> Chemical substance used as a lubricating agent and topical ointment

Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum, soft paraffin, or multi-hydrocarbon, CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons, originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties. The Vaseline brand is a well known American brand of petroleum jelly since 1870.

Cauterization is a medical practice or technique of burning a part of a body to remove or close off a part of it. It destroys some tissue in an attempt to mitigate bleeding and damage, remove an undesired growth, or minimize other potential medical harm, such as infections when antibiotics are unavailable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bare-knuckle boxing</span> Boxing without use of boxing gloves

Bare-knuckle boxing is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated sport across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton swab</span> Personal care item

Cotton swabs or cotton buds are handheld items that consist of one or two small wads of cotton wrapped around one or both ends of a short rod made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. They are most commonly used for ear cleaning, although this is not recommended by physicians. Other uses for cotton swabs include first aid, cosmetics application, cleaning, infant care and crafts. Some countries have banned the plastic-stemmed versions in favor of biodegradable alternatives over concerns about marine pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nosebleed</span> Bleeding from the nose

A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is a instance of bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low blood pressure occurs. Blood may also come up the nasolacrimal duct and out from the eye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surgical instrument</span> Tools designed for use during surgery

A surgical instrument is a tool or device for performing specific actions or carrying out desired effects during a surgery or operation, such as modifying biological tissue, or to provide access for viewing it. Over time, many different kinds of surgical instruments and tools have been invented. Some surgical instruments are designed for general use in all sorts of surgeries, while others are designed for only certain specialties or specific procedures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black eye</span> Brusing injury to the face

A periorbital hematoma, commonly called a black eye or a shiner, is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than to the eye. The name refers to the dark-colored bruising which is the result of accumulated blood and fluid in the loose areolar tissue following a blow to the head. This blood tracks freely under the scalp producing a generalised swelling over the dome of the skull but cannot pass into either occipital or the temple regions because of the bony attachments of the occipitofrontalis muscle. But this fluid can, however, track forward into the eyelid because the occipitofrontalis muscle has no bony attachment anteriorly. This leads to formation of hematoma a few hours after the head injury or cranial operation. If injury is more extensive, potentially even a skull fracture, an apparent black eye can sometimes worsen and may require professional medical treatment before it will resolve. This is more likely if the area around both eyes has been injured or if there is a history of prior head injury or fracture around the eye. Though disfiguring, the vast majority of black eyes are not serious, require little or no treatment, and will resolve spontaneously within a week or two.

An antihemorrhagic (antihæmorrhagic) agent is a substance that promotes hemostasis. It may also be known as a hemostatic agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinch fighting</span> Grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace

Clinch fighting is the part of stand-up fighting where the combatants are grappling in a clinch, typically using clinch holds. Clinching the opponent can be used to eliminate the opponent's effective usage of some kicks, punches, and melee weapons. The clinch can also be used as a medium to switch from stand-up fighting to ground fighting by using takedowns, throws or sweeps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornerman</span> Coach in fighting sports

In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the ring and minister to their fighter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal lock</span>

In combat sports, a spinal lock is a multiple joint lock applied to the spinal column, which is performed by forcing the spine beyond its normal ranges of motion. This is typically done by bending or twisting the head or upper body into abnormal positions. Commonly, spinal locks might strain the spinal musculature or result in a mild spinal sprain, while a forcefully and/or suddenly applied spinal lock may cause severe ligament damage or damage to the vertebrae, and possibly result in serious spinal cord injury, stroke, or death. Spinal locks and cervical locks are forbidden in IBJJF Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, amateur mixed martial artas (MMA), multiple forms of no Gi jiu-jitsu, judo, and other martial arts. However, professional MMA and some Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions do permit spinal locks and, particularly, neck cranks, and such moves are trained in various MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools.

Finnfight or Scandinavian open NHB Championships (SNC) was an annual mixed martial arts competition in Turku, Finland. Contrary to most other mixed martial arts organizations and competitions, elbow strikes, knee strikes, and headbutts from any position were legal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone wax</span> Substance used to control bleeding

Bone wax is a waxy substance used to help mechanically control bleeding from bone surfaces during surgical procedures.

José Martín Castillo is a Mexican former professional boxer. He represented his native country of Mexico at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Flyweight champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Duran</span> American cutman

Jacob "Stitch" Duran is a professional cutman who works in boxing and mixed martial arts fights. He is of Mexican descent and grew up in Planada, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Bodak</span> American boxing trainer, cutman

Vasil "Chuck" Bodak was an American boxing cutman and trainer who worked with over 50 world champions including Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Tommy Hearns, Julio César Chávez, Evander Holyfield, Edward Necco and Oscar De La Hoya.

José Uzcátegui is a Venezuelan professional boxer who held the IBF super middleweight title from 2018 to 2019.

References