THE solicitor representing the "horrified" family of Dominic Chapman, who died in a charity boxing match, have slammed "serious failures" made by its organisers.

The Droitwich man died aged 26 after suffering a fatal punch in a charity white-collar boxing match at Tramps nightclub in Worcester on April 9, 2022.

At an inquest, senior coroner David Reid said the punch, thrown by opponent James Bradley, had “not been unlawful in any way, and it was not Dominic’s nor Mr Bradley’s intention that it should have ended in Dominic’s death.”

Mr Reid said he was satisfied that the match-up between Mr Chapman and Mr Bradley had been a fair one, but will be writing to event organisers Ultra Events Ltd with a prevention of future deaths report. Mr Reid said the weights of fighters Luke Aldington and Chris Bedford had been “falsified” by organisers so they could be pitted against each other.

Mr Reid said: “It’s no coincidence their weights were changed to be just within the 7kg weight difference limit,” Mr Reid added.

He also said the competitors were “fobbed off” by organiser Sean Eckett when they raised concerns about their weights being wrong on the fight card.

Sarah Owen, solicitor at Anthony Collins, which has been representing Mr Chapman’s family, said it's "saddening" that it's taken Mr Chapman's death and the coroner’s inquest for the "serious failings" of Ultra Events to be recognised.

She said: "Having heard evidence that weights were incorrectly recorded and the company’s representative was ‘disinterested’ in concerns raised by participants on the night of the event, they don’t believe that Ultra Events can be trusted to self-regulate and ensure people’s safety.

“Dominic’s family is horrified to think that events like the one that took place at Tramps Nightclub in Worcester in April 2022 could happen again and another family could lose a loved one, just as they have lost their beloved son. They are also aware that other families have lost loved ones in events run by Ultra Events.

She added: "The company that organised and hosted this 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. Dominic’s family want people to understand this before they agree to take part in similar events, and they want to see safety improvements implemented to make white-collar boxing safer for everyone.”

Mr Reid ended the inquest on Wednesday (May 23), by saying: “This inquest had raised wider concerns - boxing is different to many other sports in that competitors are aiming blows at their opponents' 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.

“It is not up to myself to offer a view as to whether it should be regulated but I will be writing to the secretary of state for culture, media and sport asking her to review white collar boxing in this country.”

Jon Leonard, director of Ultra Events, said: "Everyone at Ultra White Collar Boxing was left devastated by Dominic’s death and we offer his family our deepest condolences following this tragic accident.

"The welfare of our participants is our absolute priority and we are constantly reviewing our safety procedures.

"We, of course, understand that boxing is a contact sport and with that comes a level of risk. This is something we make each and every participant aware of before they take part.

"The evidence presented to the inquest showed the match between Dominic and his opponent was a fair one and the medical provision at the event was appropriate.

"The inquest also heard that Dominic missed training sessions however he attended 13 of 16 sessions in total – five more than the minimum number required to take part.

"When Dominic’s opponent gave evidence, he confirmed to the coroner he had “absolutely no kickboxing experience whatsoever.”

"It was also suggested that the gloves provided on the night became heavier because they absorbed moisture.

"These were brand new gloves made from closed cell foam which does not absorb water."