A man who was seriously injured in a charity white-collar boxing match in Nottingham has died, police said.
The unnamed student was taking part in the Ultra White Collar Boxing event at the city’s Harvey Hadden Sports Village last Saturday.
The event was scheduled from 5.30pm until 10pm but was cut short when the boxer required medical attention. Onsite paramedics attended to the man before he was taken to Queen’s medical centre.
Nottinghamshire police said he died after his condition deteriorated.
DI Chris Berryman said: “Officers attended Harvey Hadden Sports Village on Saturday 25 March with partners including East Midlands ambulance service.
“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.
He added: “We are keeping an open mind and working with the coroner to establish what has happened.”
A spokesperson for the event said: “Everyone at Ultra White Collar Boxing was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of one of our participants.
“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.”
A city council spokesperson said: “A charity boxing match was hosted at Harvey Hadden Sports Village on Saturday 25 March where sadly one of the participants was seriously injured during one of the opening bouts. Onsite paramedics attended to him before an ambulance took him to Queen’s Medical Centre.
“We are deeply saddened to hear that he has since died in hospital and our thoughts are with his family and friends.
“We are liaising with relevant authorities to help them with their inquiries into this tragic incident.”
White-collar boxing is intended to be a low-impact version of the sport and is aimed at beginners and those who have no previous experience in the sport but who want to train and learn the skills of boxing.
Ultra White Collar Boxing is a partner of the charity Cancer Research UK, and the boxing organisation’s website says it has raised more than £25,000,000 for the cause.
Simon Ledsham, the fundraising director at Cancer Research UK, said: “Our heartfelt condolences are with the friends and family of the man who has sadly died following an Ultra White Collar Boxing event in Nottingham.
“Ultra Events – the company which stages Ultra White Collar Boxing events and asks participants to commit to raise funds for Cancer Research UK through sponsorship – is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“As with all fundraising, we accept donations from friends and family who sponsor participants and at all times the charity carefully considers the benefit to cancer patients, while fully adhering to guidance from the Charity Commission. We regularly review the arrangement and will continue to do so.
“Ultra White Collar Boxing matches are third-party events, organised by Ultra Events Ltd, and the company is solely responsible for all aspects of planning and delivery.”
According to its website, Ultra White Collar Boxing has organised hundreds of events since it was founded in 2009.
Participants are given eight weeks of free training from professional boxing coaches, and are then matched with opponents based on their weight, fitness, ability and age.
