A BOXER died while competing in an “unfair” bout at a white collar event where two others were killed, an inquest heard.
Dominic Chapman, 26, collapsed straight after the fight at Tramps nightclub in Worcester and passed away two days later.
Worcestershire Coroners Court was told there have been been three deaths involving men who took part in Ultra White Collar boxing events.
The fundraiser bouts are run by company Ultra Events, who make boxers sign a form warning of the risk of “serious injury” on the night.
They must also sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of “life-threatening injury” prior to training, with fighters made to attend at least half the coaching sessions to take part in a match.
Boss Jon Leonard told the court Dominic had attended 13 of 16 free boxing training sessions before the April 2022 fight.
He said despite missing some of the practises, he was “happy” Dominic was ready for the fight and it was a “fair match”.
But the inquest heard the opponent had “regular kickboxing experience”, while Dominic was a newcomer.
Mr Leonard agreed the information “should have been submitted” but denied any suggestion it was an “unfair match”.
He also rubbished claims of a “hush up” from one boxer as “ludicrous” after the court was told about a meeting in a car park after the horror.
The boss said: “I emailed everyone, I had repeatedly offered them psychological support. In terms of meeting in a car park that is not ideal but I don’t think there is anywhere ideal in these circumstances.
“We were keen to do it immediately so we wanted to do it on Tuesday. The place where we met them was close to the gym [we use to train]. In retrospect, we could have met somewhere better.”
Karl Hurst, representing the Chapman family, pointed to a lack of regulation around “white collar boxing”.
He also questioned whether the venue was too far from a hospital and whether there was enough onsite medical cover after Dominic’s journey to neurological specialists lasted over an hour.
The court was also told other boxers had expressed concern over the quality of the equipment – including reusing gloves that were heavy and loose.
Following Dominic’s death, dad John, who is calling for a ban on white-collar boxing, told The Sun: “One death is too many. Now there have been two within the last year.
“We understand there is risk involved in everyday life but we do not want other families to go through what we went through.”
The inquest continues.
