Brain injury charity Headway has reiterated calls for “barbaric” boxing to be banned following the tragic death of a teenage boxer in Canada.
Jeanette Zacarias Zapata, aged just 18, was knocked down in the fourth round against Marie Pier Houle at the GVM Gala International in Montreal on Saturday, August 28.
Reports indicated that Zapata had a seizure after being dazed by a left uppercut and a right hook and was taken to hospital. Her death has since been sadly confirmed.
Headway said Zapata was the “latest tragic victim of boxing” and again called for the sport to be banned.
“This tragedy was preventable. This precious life need not have been cut short,” said Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway.
“Make no mistake: this tragedy will be repeated time and time again until boxing is banned.”
Mr McCabe pointed to the current focus on head injury in sport, and Headway’s participation in the recent concussion in sport inquiry by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
“There is so much attention currently focused on the impact of concussion and repeated head trauma in sport,” he said.
“Headway joined other experts and sports people in giving evidence to the recent Parliamentary inquiry into concussion in sport. In our evidence, we asked why boxing was not under greater scrutiny.
“We asked, if Parliamentary committees and sports bodies are considering bans or limits on heading footballs, why are we still allowing people to repeatedly punch each other in the head with great force?
“We explained the consequences – as we have repeatedly done for decades – and yet no one seems willing to address the clear, obvious and unacceptable dangers of boxing.”
Mr McCabe added: “It is impossible to image the grief being felt by the husband and family of such a young woman with her entire life ahead of her. Our thoughts go out to all who loved her.”
