Time to ban boxing

I AM disappointed that boxing correspondent Jeff Powell trotted out the usual tired arguments in favour of the human bloodsport that is boxing after the tragic death of Scott Westgarth (Sportsmail).

He says there is an average of one death in a British ring every three years. That is one too many. Worldwide, there are ten deaths a year — nearly one a month.

And it is not only the death toll that is so awful, but a boxer’s risk of suffering life-altering injuries, as in the cases of Michael Watson and Gerald McClellan.

Mr Powell refers to the largely mutual respect between boxers. All I see is the pre-fight hatred and the stare-down at press conferences and the weigh- in, encouraged by avaricious promoters. Boxing is a disgusting spectacle with no place in a civilised society. It should be consigned to history. IVOR JONES, Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex.