BOXING was back in the dock last night as defeated world champion Paul Ingle lay fighting for his life in an intensive care unit.

The 28-year-old fighter from Edgehill, Scarborough, was still in a critical condition in a Sheffield hospital 24 hours after collapsing in the ring - although surgeons said he was making satisfactory progress.

Ingle, 28, was defending his IBF featherweight title on Saturday night against South African Mbulelo Botile when he was felled in the 12th round and the referee stopped the fight.

Within 45 minutes, he was on the operating table, and doctors removed a blood clot from his brain in two-and-a-half-hours of surgery.

The fighter, who only weeks ago, said that his ambition was to retire at the age of 30, a millionaire and "in one piece to care for my family" was last night on a ventilator and being kept in a drug-induced coma.

His mother Carol, who never watches her son fight for fear of seeing him injured, and fiancee Sam Coulson were last night at his bedside.

Consultant neurosurgeon Robert Battersby, who carried out the operation on the fighter, said: "Paul is making satisfactory progress at this stage.

"He is receiving expert care and his condition will continue to be monitored closely. Paul now needs time and space to recover from his traumatic injury."

The incident has renewed calls for the sport to be banned and an equally robust defence by the sporting world.

Frank Warren, promoter of Saturday's event at the Sheffield Arena said: "It is a dangerous sport, the boxers know that. They know the dangers when they get into the ring. I make no apology for boxing.

"All we can do is make sure that there are the best medical safeguards."

Gus Robinson, chairman of the Northern region of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) and a North-East promoter, said everyone's thoughts were with Ingle and his family.

He promised: "Wherever something goes wrong, and clearly something has gone wrong here, we examine and have an appraisal of the situation and see if any lessons can be learned and if anything can be done to improve safety in boxing."

Fellow North-East promoter and manager Norman Fawcett said it was not often things like this happened but they were "always a shame".

He added boxing should not be pushed underground. "If it did go underground, this sort of thing is going to happen more often."

A BBBC investigation into the fight and its aftermath is under way.

A British Medical Association spokeswoman said the association would continue pushing for a ban. "The BMA finds it impossible to justify deliberately causing damage to the brain and eye," she said.

BBBC general secretary Simon Block replied: "I didn't hear much from the BMA when five people died three-day eventing."

Labour MP for Newport West Paul Flynn said last night he intended to pursue his efforts to ban head blows. A Parliamentary Bill is expected next year.

"Boxing is unique in encouraging blows to the head," he said. "A boxer can receive hundreds of blows to the head in a single bout."

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