Nick Blackwell calls for boxers to be evaluated by a handheld brain scanner when they weigh in for a fight
Brit spent a week in an induced coma after suffering a bleed on the skull following his defeat to Chris Eubank jnr
NICK BLACKWELL has called for boxers to be evaluated by a handheld brain scanner when they weigh in for a fight.
The Infrascanner device is being trialled by London’s Air Ambulance for head-trauma incidents.
It can detect brain bleeds with an accuracy of 90 per cent, crucially before symptoms such as headaches or confusion become obvious.
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It can also spot any clots on the surface of the brain.
The technology could assist ringside doctors, and Blackwell believes it should be introduced to the sport — especially if it is used the day before a bout when fighters hit the scales.
Blackwell, 25, spent a week in an induced coma after suffering a bleed on the skull following his brutal British middleweight title defeat to Chris Eubank jnr in March.
And Scottish boxer Mike Towell, 25, died in hospital on September 30 — just 24 hours after suffering severe bleeding and swelling to his brain following a fifth-round loss to Dale Evans in Glasgow.
His partner Chloe Ross later confirmed he had complained of migraines before the fight.
Retired Blackwell told SunSport: “It’s more important to do it before. When you’ve weighed in you’ve got to see a doctor, so why not a scan?
“I went into my fight with headaches and so did Mike Towell, so it shows you the damage is there.
Obviously getting in the ring and getting hit is going to further the damage.
“If this scanner works the way they say it does, it will be massive for boxing.
“I lost my career — but Mike lost his life. If this thing works and the British Boxing Board of Control gets it, I think it needs to be used before every fight at the weigh-in.
“It can be used ringside but the damage is probably already done by then. It’s important to do it before.”
Doctors currently assess boxers for brain damage by checking how their pupils respond to a bright light and asking a series of questions to see whether they are confused.
But not all brain bleeds cause immediate symptoms and fighters may have to be reassessed several times over an hour or more.
Dr Gareth Grier, a consultant with London’s Air Ambulance, said: “We see patients who have a variety of mechanisms for head injuries and there will be parallels with injuries sustained in sports such as boxing.”
But Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, said that “no formal conversations” have been held with regards to using the Infrascanner in the sport.
Smith added: “Until a report is out, there is nothing that we can consider.”