Boxer begged for brain scan
Partner files NHS complaint after claim fighter was given painkillers
THE partner of Scottish boxer Mike Towell has made an official complaint about the medical treatment he received for headaches prior to his death.
Chloe Ross, 24, claimed Mr Towell begged doctors for a brain scan but was instead given painkillers for suspected migraines.
The Dundee boxer suffered a brain bleed during a televised fight on September 29 and died a day later.
Ms Ross said that her partner, who was known to fans as “Iron Mike”, attended hospital after complaining of crippling headaches during a sparring session on September 11.
She claimed that he was rolling on the floor of a waiting room in pain, but was later advised he was suffering from migraines and told to see a GP, who she said agreed with the diagnosis the following day.
Ms Ross, who was Mr Towell’s partner for nine years, said that he accepted it must be migraines and put the headaches down to pre-fight stress.
But she revealed the 25-year-old boxer refused to spar again before his British title eliminator with Welsh welterweight Dale Evans in Glasgow.
Mr Towell was knocked down twice in the fight and later died at the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Ms Ross said: “Michael had headaches for three weeks before the fight.
“He was in sparring one day and had to be pulled out after the third round because it was so bad.
“Straight away his coaches said ‘you’re not fighting, you need to get this seen’.
“He was taken straight to Dundee, to Ninewells A&E, but they said it wasn’t an emergency.
“But if you put ‘boxing’ and ‘headache’ in the same sentence surely that should be enough.
“He was lying on the floor in the waiting area with his hood up, reduced to tears.
“He was saying ‘my head is going to explode, it’s really not right – I know something is wrong’.
“They just said he that shouldn’t be there, and he needed to see his GP.
“They said migraine.
“Michael said ‘you need to scan me, I know that it’s not right’.
“But they said he needed to see his GP and gave him Co-codomol, and sent him on his way.”
Ms Ross said the GP took a blood test from Mr Towell the next day, which the family have yet to see the results of.
She added that Mr Towell, with whom she has two-year-old son, Rocco, continued to suffer from headaches before the fight but went ahead with the bout as he trusted medical opinion.
Ms Ross revealed her partner was also dehydrated after having to rapidly lose weight ahead of the official weigh-in.
She said: “He made the weight it sounded like a on his own scales but he was frustrated because on their scales he was two and a half pounds over and he was made to lose it within two hours.
“Check weigh-in was at 3pm and he had to lose it by 5pm.
“He was in the sauna, jogging with a sweat suit on.
“He did lose the weight but he said he was shaky.
“He would have been, because he hadn’t eaten.”
The family of Mr Towell, who was undefeated in 12 contests prior to facing Mr Evans, has asked NHS Tayside to explain why he did not receive a brain scan.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We have received a complaint and we are in direct contact with the family.”