One death is one too many, but fight game is safer than lots of others

IT IS a very difficult time to defend the sport when tragedies like Scott Westgarth’s death happen.

All of boxing is thinking of his family this week and pass on our condolences to them at this terrible time.

But banning boxing would only send it underground.

Fighters would be at even more risk with no regulations.

Boxing is a dangerous sport but we do our best to protect the participants’ welfare.

Scans

Some people are born to be writers, some people are born to be painters, some people are born to be musicians and some people are born to box and they will do it whatever it takes.

It is our job to make it as safe as possible for them.

We make sure that all venues are never more than an hour away from a neurological unit, so when a brain injury happens, they can get to the hospital within the ‘Golden hour’. All boxers are monitored regularly. They have annual MRI scans to detect any deterioration to the brain function.

Any relevant medical innovations, and anything that is there to help, we would always incorporate into boxing, under regulations imposed by the British Boxing Board of Control.

Statistically it is safer than many other sports, even though one death is one too many.

But it is the fighter’s choice and that is fine as long as it is pointed out to them what the dangers are.

The board do interviews with boxers before they grant them a licence and I also tell my fighters how dangerous this sport is.

But the other side of it is how many lives this sport saves.

How many boxers have bettered themselves financially and direction in life through this sport?

But the most important thing for now is that all of boxing is thinking of the Westgarth family.