Boxing, danger and masculinity in Mexico city

The inherent risk in practicing sports and the capacity to withstand pain are fundamental components of the imaginary of masculinity and contribute to create a culture of gender in this field Nowhere is this more obvious than in boxing Although there is a health culture in boxing participants interpret risk as a given aspect of the sport and as a function of the value of virility and tend to deny or minimize the consequences their practice may have on their physical integrity Research in Mexico shows the role of boxing in constructing male identity and defending a field notwithstanding the dangerousness of the practice