Eddie Hearn in heated debate on GMB over the banning of boxing 

Matchroom boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and chief executive of 'Headway' Peter McCabe were guests on 'Good Morning Britian' on Friday. The pair were passionately debating whether boxing brings discipline to children or whether it just encourages violence.

Tempers rose in a conversation full of passion and interruptions that touched upon the sport’s safety, as well as its impact on the quality of life of children who box.

Eddie Hearn inevitably highlighted the positive role boxing plays, particularly on individuals from deprived communities. However, McCabe expressed his disapproval of the sport by suggesting that it's dangerous and violent.

Hearn started by explaining the positives of the sport, where he said:

"I think boxing is very regimental. You look at the likes of Anthony Joshua, for example, he talks about what it did [for him]. It gave him that sense of feeling within the community, obviously the fitness element, the mental health element, discipline, respect, manners, winning, losing."

McCabe, on the other hand, responded by saying:

"If I want to find out whether it is dangerous and risks people's health, I won't ask a boxing promoter with all due respect to Eddie, I'll ask doctors. If you read the report from The British Medical Association, which has looked at this at length and medical associations around the world, they say that boxing is extremely dangerous and it should be banned."

McCabe tried to encourage Hearn to visit people at his charity and the pair went back and forth. Host Kate Garraway concluded that Hearn should pay a visit to the charity 'Headway' and that Peter should watch a boxing match, where they'd be followed by the GMB cameras.

The safety issue associated with boxing is a serious and important discussion, one that Friday morning’s showdown did nothing to clarify.

Watch the full debate between Eddie Hearn and Peter McCabe here, via 'Good Morning Britian' (YouTube):

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Eddie Hearn vs campaigners - Should boxing be banned?

Hearn made numerous valid points for the benefit of boxing, but there are proven cases where boxing can lead to significant brain damage and even death in the ring. The argument, however, would be that sports like soccer can lead to brain damage also, with players often heading the ball.

Anyone who's entered a boxing gym understands the many positives of the sport, where it can hugely improve a person's core principles such as discipline and respect. It also has a significant effect on physical and mental health improvements.

The debate will most likely continue but multiple boxers, such as Sunny Edwards, have taken to social media to express their disbelief at the suggestion that boxing should be banned.