Canning charity fights not the answer, says coach Shatford

Banning charity boxing would lead to ungoverned fight events happening ‘‘underground’’, former New Zealand amateur coach Phil Shatford says.

International Boxing Federation (IBF) official Keith Walker has warned against charity fights in the wake of Neville Knight’s death at a corporate fight night in Hamilton on Saturday.

Knight, 49, collapsed against the ropes and died in the ring at the event, which was run to amateur Boxing New Zealand and IBA (International Boxing Association) regulations.

Christchurch-based Shatford, who has been involved in boxing for more than 40 years, said canning charity fights would be a knee-jerk reaction and only create trouble.

Deaths at charity boxing events are rare with only a handful understood to have occurred world-wide.

‘‘If they do knock it on the head, you can guarantee it would go underground. You’d have anybody training these guys and wouldn’t have qualified referees or doctors there,’’ Shatford said. ’’It’s the sort of thing you can’t really ban. Let’s keep it governed, otherwise it could go underground.’’

He believed Knight’s death could prove a game-changer for charity boxing. Even stricter rules might end up being imposed.

Charity bouts were held under stringent regulations of the association that ran them.

‘‘I don’t think they’ll leave any stone unturned to make it as safe as possible.

‘‘I presume since something like this has happened, they will look deeper into it.’’

Shatford was satisfied with the safety measures in place and felt enough was being done to look after boxers’ welfare.

Fighters had to pass a medical test to get in the ring and a doctor needed to be ringside.

Competitors usually wore 16 ounce gloves, twice the size of amateurs or professionals, and donned mouthguards and headgear.

Fights typically consist of three two-minute rounds.

Knight did not die directly from a hit, instead collapsing in what his trainer, Dion Mcnabney, described as a ‘‘freak medical event’’.

‘‘You can’t do much damage with 16 ounce gloves. They’re basically like clown gloves,’’ Shatford said.

‘‘From what I can see, it’s one of those unfortunate things.’’

Shatford expressed some concern about whether fighters around the country were receiving sufficient training from qualified coaches.

He said they needed an eight week course to be adequately prepared.

‘‘As long as they’re getting trained by proper coaches, which I believe they are in most of the circumstances, I can’t see what more they can do.’’

Christchurch charity boxing promoter Justin Wallace was worried about the abundance of corporate fight events around New Zealand, which were ‘‘growing like mushrooms’’.

Given their steady prevalence, it was inevitable ‘‘something like this was going to happen’’ in New Zealand, he said.

Wallace liked the idea of boxing promoters having to be registered, like in Australia.

Holding a corporate fight night was a ‘‘tough gig’’ due to health and safety protocols and he believed some first-time organisers did not know what they were signing up for.

He has run nine events over the past six years in Christchurch, featuring 120 fighters, and favoured boxers with a decent level of fitness and previous sporting background.

Not everyone stuck to the regulations though, Wallace said.

‘‘I have seen events put on in Christchurch that don’t even have a doctor at the event.

‘‘I doubt very much if the contenders that did the event went through the right processes and ensuring they were fit to enter the ring.’’

Both Shatford and Wallace were supportive of an under-50 age cap.

Wallace was extremely picky about who he let fight.

Boxers had to carry out a medical test when they first agreed to fight, then again at the weigh-in, the night before.

He tried to match fighters with someone of a similar age, weight and level of experience.

‘‘I’ve had to say [to people] in their last 50s or early 60s, they’re too high risk. Our core market is 35-45. It seems to work best.’’

Former All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said it was too early to jump to conclusions until the results of the post-mortem had been revealed.

Robinson worked as medic at a Scotland Yard-run charity fight event in London, when she was studying to become a doctor.

She said there were a ‘‘whole lot of medical things’’, which might not have been picked up in an initial screening.