Pattern of injuries and associated factors among boxers: A cross-sectional study during a National Boxing Tournament in Sri Lanka
W. U. K. D. Wijesinghe, Vajira Dharmawardene · Sri Lankan Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine · 2026
Background: Boxing exposes athletes to acute injuries, particularly to the head/face and upper extremities. Local epidemiological data are required to guide prevention and ringside medical care in Sri Lanka.
Objective: To describe tournament-related injury patterns and examine associated factors among national-level boxers in Sri Lanka.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 eligible boxers participating in a national boxing competition. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on the Australian Sports Injury Data Dictionary6, supported by face-to-face interviews and direct injury observation. Descriptive statistics and chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests were used, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: Fifteen of 150 boxers sustained an injury during the tournament, giving a participant-level injury proportion of 10.0%. Lacerations were the predominant injury type (9/15, 60.0%), followed by sprains (3/15, 20.0%), strains (2/15, 13.3%) and one head injury (6.7%). Ten of 15 injuries (66.7%) involved the head/face; three involved the wrist/hand, one the index finger and one the neck. Eleven injuries (73.3%) resulted from a received punch, three (20.0%) from a delivered punch and one (6.7%) from collision with an opponent. Seven injuries were minor and eight moderate; no severe tournament injury was recorded. Nearly half of the boxers (69/150, 46.0%) reported a history of previous injury. 11 (15.9%) of them had suffered severe injuries requiring surgery or prolonged rest. A previous history of boxing injury was associated with current tournament injury (Pearson χ²=5.013, p=0.025; Fisher’s exact p=0.030). Previous medical treatment and rehabilitation history were also associated with tournament injury, although these variables likely reflect the burden of previous injury rather than independent causal risk.
Conclusion: Nearly half of the boxers (69/150, 46.0%) reported a history of previous injury and one in ten participating boxers sustained an injury during the studied competition, with lacerations and head/face injuries predominating. The
Findings: support structured injury surveillance, targeted facial and upper-limb prevention, systematic r