A man has died after being seriously injured in a charity white-collar boxing match in Nottingham.
Paramedics were called to the Ultra White Collar Boxing event at Harvey Hadden Sports Village last Saturday and a man was hospitalised.
His condition deteriorated and he died at the Queen’s Medical Centre hospital, Nottinghamshire Police said.
The force said it was working with the coroner to establish what happened.
The charity events, held regularly across the country, see amateur competitors undergo intensive training for eight weeks before entering the ring in front of a black-tie audience, paying up to £450 for a table.
The man is the second to die in hospital after taking part in one of the events in less than a year, after 26-year-old Dominic Chapman collapsed in the ring at a Worcester nightclub last April.
“Officers attended Harvey Hadden Sports Village on Saturday 25 March with partners including East Midlands Ambulance Service,” said Detective Inspector Chris Berryman.
“A man was left seriously injured following a boxing match and transported to Queen’s Medical Centre. Since the incident, his condition deteriorated and he has sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with all of his family and friends at this difficult time.
“We are keeping an open mind and working with the coroner to establish what has happened.”
A spokesperson said: “Everyone at Ultra White Collar Boxing was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our participants, who took part in our Nottingham event on Saturday 25 March.
“Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time. We are in close contact with his family and continue to offer them all the support we can.
“With investigations now under way by the relevant authorities, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
Ultra White Collar Boxing is a partner of Cancer Research UK and the boxing organisation’s website says it has raised more than £28m over the 14 years in which it has been running events.
The website says: “Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) is the largest organiser of white collar boxing events in the UK. Since the first event in December 2009, over 100,000 people have stepped through the ropes and boxed at one of our events. That’s 100,000 people that have become fitter and healthier.
“Boxing gets a tough time from the media. Whenever there is an injury there are calls for it to be banned, but statistically, if you look at serious injuries boxing is safer than cycling and rugby. We think this is due to excellent safety precautions at events.”
The website lists a summary of guidelines and says: “To ensure the safety of all of our participants, we make sure that we strictly adhere to our rules and regulations.”
It adds: “We feel our events offer a ‘gold standard’ in safety and this has been verified by doctors, neurosurgeons and many other professional bodies that have reviewed our practices.”
Additional reporting by PA
