Boxer’s license revoked over Twitter remarks about tragic Westgarth death
UK boxer Tyan Booth has had his license revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) over tweets referencing the tragic death of a fellow boxer. Aged 31, Scott Westgarth died after winning his fight at the weekend.
UK boxer Tyan Booth has had his license revoked by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) over tweets referencing the tragic death of a fellow boxer. Aged 31, Scott Westgarth died after winning his fight at the weekend.
Booth, 34, tweeted to his near 3,000 followers: “Some people would enjoy it if I got killed in a boxing ring like Scott Westgarth,” punctuated with the hashtag #MANDOWN.
Westgarth died on Sunday after collapsing in his dressing room following a post-fight interview on Saturday, having won an unforgiving 10-round fight over the previously-unbeaten Dec Spelman on Saturday night.
His death was one that touched the boxing world and led to many tributes. Despite receiving a profoundly negative reaction to his choice tweet, Booth then followed up with a comment referencing Gerald McClellan, who was left permanently brain damaged and disabled after fighting Nigel Benn in 1995.
“To those complaining about my tweet about the boxer who got killed recently, I'm boxing myself in 2 weeks and I’ve spent the past 3 months drinking cider and not training properly so there’s a [good] chance I’ll end up in a wheelchair like Gerald McClellan, so tune in,” Booth wrote, signing off with the same hashtag.
In response, the BBBofC suspended super-middleweight Booth’s license with immediate effect, putting paid to any planned outings.
Booth’s trainer Dominic Ingle, who runs the Ingle Gym where Westgarth trains in Sheffield, called the tweets inappropriate and said that the matter will be dealt with internally with guidance from the board.
“The inappropriate comments tweeted recently by Tyan Booth will be dealt with by the Ingle Gym & BBBofC. He has been asked to remove them,” Ingle tweeted.
His tweets were met with anger and bewilderment in the boxing world, with many condemning them as “disgusting.” One of those was Westgarth’s brother, Adam, who wrote: “You nasty piece of s***, my brother has accomplished more than you ever have and ever will! You take that down or I will take you out. I promise. You don’t deserve to be recognised as a boxer.”
