Inquest into Sheffield boxer who died hours after biggest victory of career set to continue

Light heavyweight Scott Westgarth, aged 31, died following his victory over Dec Spelman in Doncaster in February 2018, a coroner was told yesterday.

His trainer Glyn Rhodes, who runs a gym in Sheffield, was in tears as he recalled travelling with his fighter to Doncaster Royal Infirmary after he started to feel unwell and how his condition deteriorated en-route.

An inquest into Mr Westgarth's death heard how a scan at the hospital revealed a large bleed on his brain.

He was transferred to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, but later died.

Mr Rhodes described how Mr Westgarth was in good spirits after ‘he'd just won the biggest fight of his career’.

The hearing heard how the boxer took part in a post-fight interview before he was taken to his room, where he complained of feeling unwell.

A doctor was summoned and paramedics arrived to take him to hospital for checks.

Mr Rhodes said his fighter did not want to leave the Doncaster Dome venue on a stretcher.

He said: "He had just won. 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."

But the trainer described how Mr Westgarth's condition deteriorated in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Robyn Smith, the British Boxing Board of Control's chief inspector for the central area, said Mr Westgarth had been involved in a ‘long, 10-round, hard fight’.

Mr Smith said he was at ringside and had no concerns following his pre-fight checks.

He told Doncaster coroner Nicola Mundy that Mr Westgarth was ‘coherent’ when he saw him after the fight.

"He was fatigued," he told the hearing.

"You could tell he'd done 10 hard rounds."

The inquest heard that Mr Westgarth, from Penistone, died from complications arising from a blood clot on the brain.

The hearing is expected to last five days.