EAR-BITERS apart, we welcome the boost to local boxing that Bolton councillors gave last night.

They decided not to accede to the British Medical Association's request to reconsider supporting boxing because doctors fear it could lead to brain damage. Instead, they heeded a report from council officers recommending support for the amateur sport.

This pointed out that amateur boxing is strictly regulated by the Amateur Boxing Association, which allows the sport to operate safely.

Bolton has a proud history of amateur boxing, and we believe the councillors were right in their decision, in spite of high-profile injuries, and even the isolated death, in the professional ring.

However, their decision not to impose this particular sporting censorship may well be viewed as slightly at odds with other decisions taken by Bolton Council. We still fail to understand why performing hypnotists continue to be banned, and why that the outdated bye-law relating to stripping remains in its outmoded form.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.