The body representing amateur boxers is defending the sport’s reputation, saying it is still safe, despite the recent death of a boxer following a sparring session.
Lucy Brown, 31, died on August 22, days after she was airlifted to hospital after collapsing at a boxing club in Wellsford, north Auckland. Brown’s death is being investigated by a coroner.
However, Boxing New Zealand president Keith Walker said he did not have concerns around the sport’s safety record and was “more than satisfied” with safety protocols.
“We have very few knock-outs in our sport, in the amateur side of it. Very, very few.
It is thought Lucy Brown received a concussion during a sparring session but she was not knocked out while in the ring.
“If a boxer is taking heavy blows then there’s an eight-count applied. If they don’t look as if they’re coping with it, then the bout stops.”
Auckland Boxing Association president Paul McSharry said in more than 40 years’ involvement with the sport, he had seen only three or four incidents where athletes were seriously hurt.
Protective headgear was compulsory, apart from for male elites, McSharry said.
The gym where Brown collapsed will be reopening on August 29.
Boxers also have to be registered with Boxing New Zealand before competitions, which included undergoing medical checks.
cSharry said it was not amateur boxing but corporate boxing that was a major concern in terms of safety, as it was poorly regulated.
The Wellsford Boxing Sport & Fitness Club Inc, where Brown was training when she collapsed, is due to open again on August 29 with her family’s blessing.
According to Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter intensive care flight paramedic Russell Clarke, Brown received a concussion, but was not knocked out while inside the ring.
As of 2015, boxing ranked 19th in the top 20 sports for new claims for concussion and brain injury, according to ACC.
There were 265 new claims for boxing and more than 9000 for rugby union.
