Skip to content

Fatally injured boxer Scott Westgarth 'wanted to walk from venue'

PA Media Scott WestgarthPA Media
Scott Westgarth was the underdog going into the bout which he won on points

A boxer who died hours after winning the biggest fight of his career wanted to walk to an ambulance rather than leave the venue on a stretcher.

Light heavyweight Scott Westgarth fell ill after his "long, 10-round, hard fight" with Dec Spelman in Doncaster.

An inquest heard he was in good spirits and took part in a post-fight interview before complaining of feeling unwell.

He deteriorated on the way to hospital and died of complications arising from a blood clot on the brain.

His trainer Glyn Rhodes was in tears as he told the inquest: "He'd just won the biggest fight of his career.

"He didn't want to be going out on a stretcher. He wanted to bask in the glory. He wanted to walk out.

"To be aware of that, he must have been sound of mind. He was alright."

PA Media Scott Westgarth celebrates his winPA Media
In his final post-fight interview, Westgarth spoke about his love of boxing

British Boxing Board of Control chief inspector Robyn Smith said Westgarth had been "coherent" when he saw him after the fight in February 2018.

"He was fatigued," he said. "You could tell he'd done 10 hard rounds."

Westgarth, from Prudhoe, Northumberland, was seen by a doctor and paramedics before being taken to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for checks.

A CT scan revealed a large bleed on the brain and he was transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where he later died.

Mr Smith said the choice of hospital a boxer is taken to in a medical situation was a clinical decision for the doctors and paramedics at the scene.

The inquest in Doncaster is expected to last for five days.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].