# what do boxers sniff before the match **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630 "2011-01-23T06:32:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/1 "2011-01-23T06:32:24Z")
like I see it in Rocky what is it ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/2 "2011-01-23T06:44:04Z")
I’m not sure what you mean. Boxers don’t “sniff” anything before a fight. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/3 "2011-01-23T06:50:48Z")
but in Rocky they are putting something in his nose ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/4 "2011-01-23T07:12:59Z")
Smelling salts ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/5 "2011-01-23T07:25:16Z")
what does that do ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/6 "2011-01-23T07:37:37Z")
[Smelling salts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelling_salts) are used to bring around someone who’s fainted or been knocked unconcious. So they’re used between rounds in boxing to help get the fighter back on his feet. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/7 "2011-01-23T08:04:28Z")
but in Rocky they do it in the locker room before the fight even begins ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/8 "2011-01-23T08:10:53Z")
Before the fight begins, many boxers will have the cutman, trainer, or cornerman apply Vaseline inside the nose to keep the tissues soft and lubricated, which discourages bleeding and keeps breathing easier. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/9 "2011-01-23T17:24:58Z")
Yeah but they aren’t really applying it to his nose; they’re just sticking it up his nostril and let him sniff it. I guess it is smelling salts. My friend suggests that they do it before the fight to make them extra-alert: does that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/10 "2011-01-23T17:57:30Z")
those weren’t smelling salts. it was just nasal decongestants. nasal sprays fight inflammation so when they get punched in the nose, it doesn’t swell and cut off air flow. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/11 "2011-01-23T20:58:12Z")
Smelling salts used to be used in between rounds, but nowadays they’re generally banned by both league rules and state regulations. If a fighter needs smelling salts to remain conscious, he shouldn’t continue fighting. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/12 "2011-01-23T22:04:22Z")
I thought is was one of [these](http://www1.epinions.com/review/Vicks_Vapor_Inhaler_1_Per_Package/well-review-3660-3E3B521-39F6FCD3-prod1). ---
**Author:** ![Qis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Qis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qis)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/13 "2011-01-23T23:26:12Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > I thought is was one of [these](http://www1.epinions.com/review/Vicks_Vapor_Inhaler_1_Per_Package/well-review-3660-3E3B521-39F6FCD3-prod1). Sounds about right, that or the vicks style gel are used in thailand all the time. The ususal format is that someone( not one of the cornermen) gets a blob of the stuff in the palm of his hand, and holds it up through the ropes and into the boxers face(making him breath in the vapour). > [@Pancakes3](#): > > those weren’t smelling salts. it was just nasal decongestants. nasal sprays fight inflammation so when they get punched in the nose, it doesn’t swell and cut off air flow. Sounds bang on the money, Not sure to what extent that works, but it woudl certainly create the illusion of being able to breath easier, so make the boxer feel fresher. i agree with the smelling salts being very unlikely, i’ve never heard of that being used as a preventative step with a dazed fighter. And i suspect that is Illegal(boxer safety being the concern here). ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/14 "2011-01-24T00:46:43Z")
Rocky: smelling salts AND nasal spray In real life: Anything goes and it’s up to each fighter, athlete, etc. E.G., In ice hockey, it wasn’t uncommon to pop sudofed (an upper) like they were M&M’s and snort nasal spray and chase it all with two Jolt sodas. Anything goes in sports. In the corner during a real fight, smelling salts are use to keep the boxer alert. This is a common sight. Smelling salts (for boxers noted): > **[Smelling salts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelling_salts)** > > Smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants, spirit of hartshorn or sal volatile, are chemical compounds used as stimulants to restore consciousness after fainting. > The usual active compound is ammonium carbonate—a colorless-to-white, crystalline solid ((NH4)2CO3). Because most modern solutions are mixed with water, they should properly be called "aromatic spirits of ammonia". Modern solutions may also contain other products to perfume or act in conjunction with the ammonia, such as lavende... . ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/15 "2011-01-24T02:13:17Z")
Cocaine (ok, somebody had to say it :p) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/16 "2011-01-24T02:17:05Z")
I thought for a moment that the OP was talking about what one of [these](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Boxer_dog_Chloe-300.jpg) boxers would sniff. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-boxers-sniff-before-the-match/568630/17 "2011-01-24T02:51:14Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > In real life: Anything goes and it’s up to each fighter, athlete, etc. E.G., In ice hockey, it wasn’t uncommon to pop sudofed (an upper) like they were M&M’s and snort nasal spray and chase it all with two Jolt sodas. Anything goes in sports. > > In the corner during a real fight, smelling salts are use to keep the boxer alert. This is a common sight. It happens, but it’s illegal and not what I’d call a common sight at all - certainly nobody wants to be seen doing it. I’ve cornered both amatuer and professional boxing, kickboxing and MMA fights, and smelling salts are strictly prohibited. Getting caught using smelling salts ringside will get a fighter disqualified, and possibly get his corner team fined and/or disciplined by the state. Referees and state officials are generally watching the corner very closely for rule violations. A few examples: > [@](#): > > 1. The administration or use of drugs, injections or stimulants, either before or during a match, to any Boxer or by any Boxer is prohibited. This includes smelling salts, ammonia capsules or similar irritants. Any contestant who violates this Rule shall be subject to disqualification. > **[UBO  -  Universal Boxing Organization ](http://www.uboboxing.com/rules.htm)** > [@](#): > > Only Vaseline, used under the supervision of the referee, will be allowed to be applied to the face, arms or any part of the body of a boxer during a bout. No smelling salts, ammonia nor other substances may be administered to revive a boxer, or for any other reason, during a bout. [http://www.nabfnews.com/nabf-mainmenu-87/legal-mainmenu-38/championships-mainmenu-42.html](http://www.nabfnews.com/nabf-mainmenu-87/legal-mainmenu-38/championships-mainmenu-42.html) > [@](#): > > And while many have suggested Lawal and Noons could have gained an unfair advantage with the breathing aid, Stanford said oxygen is not prohibited by the commission (Combative Sports Program statutes do not specifically address the use of oxygen; Stanford said banned substances include Monsel’s solution, silver nitrate, ammonium capsules and smelling salts). [Texas commission says oxygen OK, no actions taken against referees](http://mmajunkie.com/news/20398/texas-commission-says-oxygen-ok-no-actions-taken-against-referees.mma)