DALE EVANS, a Welsh boxer from St Clears, has said that he is ‘absolutely heartbroken’ following the death of his opponent Mike Towell following a fight that took place on Thursday, September 29.
Mr Towell, aged 25, died in hospital on Friday, September 30, after being seriously injured in a fight with Mr Evans.
Towell was knocked down during the first round of the fight at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu Hotel but recovered in time to continue.
However, as the match progressed, Referee Victor Loughlin stopped the fight during the fifth round after Towell was knocked down for a second time.
He received treatment in the ring and was given oxygen before being taken to an ambulance on a stretcher.
Former Olympic athlete Mr Whittle has told BBC Radio Scotland that the 25-year-old boxer’s death had been a ‘real tragedy’. He continued, saying that banning the sport would be ‘silly’, although it was clear that ‘something has gone very wrong’.
“I feel like I am responsible,” Dale Evans said in an interview with BBC Wales Sport. “I can’t stop thinking about Mike and his poor family. All my thoughts are with them.”
During Mr Evans’ emotional interview, he continued: “You don’t think about this happening. With the medical team at ringside, you feel safe and you never actually dream something like this will happen. It isn’t something on your mind.”
The St Clears boxer is now the mandatory challenger for the British title but has said that he is now considering retiring from the sport, stating: “I have been low and thinking that I would probably stop boxing now.
“I feel like one of my own family has passed away.”
Towell’s partner, Chloe Ross, said he died ‘peacefully’ shortly after 11pm on Friday, September 30, 12 hours after he was taken off life support.
“Michael had severe bleeding and swelling to his brain,” she wrote on Facebook.
“He had been complaining of headaches for the last few weeks but we put it down to migraines with the stress of his fight.
“It has been the longest 24 hours of our lives. My baby has lost his daddy. But he will be so, so proud of his dad in what he achieved.”
Conservative MSP Brian Whittle has called for an inquiry following the incident, stating that it was important to hold a ‘proper inquiry’ in order to ensure a similar incident will never happen again.
Prosecutors have confirmed they have begun investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Towell’s death.
Mr Evans concluded that boxers understand the risks involved in entering the ring but rarely consider the potential consequences. He has said that he would like to win the British title in Mr Towell’s name, telling BBC Sport: “I think I will have a break and I will try to win the British title in Mike’s memory.”
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