I am very keen to acknowledge from the outset, that boxing – the same as all sports and physical activity – is great for participants in many ways. 

The fitness benefits, positive impact on mental health, a way of keeping young people focussed on a positive future (Idris Elba's documentary 'Fight School' is a brilliant example of this) and so on. 

Likewise, boxing and other sports carry risks. It’s not possible or appropriate to try to eradicate all risks. After all, life has risks, doesn't it? We don't want a nanny state and we want people to take personal responsibility. 

All that said, people need to be able to make an informed decision about whether to take up boxing and they need to be able to trust what they're being told about their safety is true. If you're told it's safe but that's a lie, personal responsibility goes out of the window.

What has become known as white-collar boxing – amateur boxing taken up for a short period of time for a one-off event – isn't regulated by England Boxing or the British Boxing Board of Control. It has somehow slipped through the net between these two governing bodies, which means that organisers and people running white-collar boxing can pick the safety measures they decide are appropriate. 

Companies such as Ultra Events Ltd run such events. They can do a ‘pick and mix’ of all things health and safety. How they choose what safety measures to put in place could be influenced by financial aims.

In addition to the ‘pick and mix’ of safety measures, there are no external checks that what they say they do is actually happening.

‘Pick and mix’ safety and empty promises put lives at risk. Just like professional boxing, amateur or white-collar boxing carries a significant risk of life-changing injury, including traumatic brain injury. 

Dominic Chapman died in a white-collar type of boxing match held by Ultra Events in April 2022. He suffered a blow to the head and died two days later. Tragically, it recently came to light that the safety of participants, including Dominic, was not up to what should be expected. It was only after years of Dominic’s family fighting for the truth, that the real extent of the ‘pick and mix’ safety and empty promises came to light.

We represented Dominic’s family at the inquest into his death. 

At the inquest we heard evidence that participants’ weights were incorrectly recorded and, in the coroner’s words, some were ‘falsified’, meaning that people weren’t all fairly matched by weight. On top of that, boxers weren’t all fairly matched by experience and fitness. This was a particular issue in Dominic’s case: he was matched with a participant who had many years of experience in martial arts.  

There were also questions about the training, who provided it, whether it was adequate training and arbitrary rules about how many sessions participants had to attend. The Ultra Events website promises participants they will get training from ‘boxing professionals’ but at the inquest, evidence came out that the trainer didn’t have any experience in boxing and Ultra Events had stopped using England Boxing coaches before Dominic took part.

We also heard evidence at the inquest that Ultra Events’ representative was ‘disinterested’ in concerns raised by participants and they were ’fobbed off’. Others raised concerns about a ‘cover-up’. Some people said they didn’t believe that Ultra Events could be trusted to self-regulate and ensure people’s safety. But the Ultra Events website and the paperwork Dominic saw said that health and safety was ‘at the heart of everything we do’.

Evidence came out that the medical equipment available at Dominic’s event was incomplete and there was medication missing. The medical crew didn’t all have experience in boxing events. The area for medical treatment was a booth area in the nightclub venue, which was shared with others getting ready before their fights. The local hospital and trauma centre weren’t given prior notice of the event, so they couldn’t prepare in advance just in case the worst happened.

The list of concerns, things which could have been better and things which were expected but didn’t happen goes on. Essentially the boxing event did not have the robust medical and safety measures in place, which would be standard for amateur and professional events. As a result, the event was unnecessarily dangerous for those taking part.

The coroner issued a Preventing Future Deaths report to the Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to ask for a review of white-collar boxing. He also issued a Preventing Future Deaths report to Ultra Events. 

As the coroner said, “This inquest had raised wider concerns - boxing is different to many other sports in that competitors are aiming blows at their opponent's head and body, and so the risk of significant injury is significant. Since 2017 there have been three deaths in Ultra Events Ltd events and yet white collar boxing is unregulated.”

We feel privileged to have represented Dominic’s family and helped to get answers for them. 

The coroner’s Preventing Future Deaths report could make a significant difference for other participants in the future. We hope Ultra Events make immediate changes to improve safety for all boxers. 

We want everyone taking part in boxing events to enjoy the experience of course but also to be able to trust that their safety really is at the heart of everything.