The Quebec Coroner’s Office recommends that the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ) strengthen its control measures before authorizing a boxer who has suffered a knockout. during his previous fight to get back in the ring.
Dr. Jacques Ramsay, who was investigating the death of Mexican boxer Jeanette Zacarias Zapata at a gala held in Montreal in August 2021, notes in a report released today that the organization should “systematically” demand a full description of the knock -out, a video of the fight if possible as well as the report of the post-fight medical examination “to be able to better appreciate” the nature of the injuries suffered by the athlete.
The coroner also suggests that the RACJ requires the production of a neuropsychology report which could make it possible to detect neurological dysfunctions “even when the boxer seems to have no symptoms and does not perceive anything abnormal”, which was apparently the case for Jeanette Zacarias Zapata.
The boxer had been knocked out. in May in Mexico during a violent fight and subjected to a 60-day suspension that expired a few weeks before her fateful fight in Montreal.
The boxer’s father, Estaban Zacarias, told La Presse that no qualified doctor was present during the fight in Mexico and that he himself had to transport his unconscious daughter in a van to find a hospital that could take charge of it. He specified that the presence of a cerebral hematoma had been revealed by a tomography examination, but that the young woman was able to leave after four hours under observation.
The coroner points out for his part that the father declared that a medical examination carried out a week after the fight on May 15 had not revealed any abnormality.
Dr. Ramsay also indicates that the Aguascalientes city boxing commission “did not show laxity” following the fight in Mexico since the 60-day suspension period imposed after the knockout . is the amount of time it takes “for most athletes” to recover from a traumatic brain injury.
He said, however, that he was “concerned by the fact that the clinical and radiological examinations are insufficiently sensitive to detect suboptimal recovery, particularly in the presence of an athlete who could be tempted to minimize his symptoms in order to return earlier in the ring.” The suggested neuropsychological tests, underlines the coroner, would be able to fill this gap.
A spokesperson for the RACJ, Me Joyce Tremblay, indicated that the organization welcomed the measures suggested by the coroner and intended to “do everything to implement them”. She warned that a delay would be necessary since legislative and regulatory changes may be necessary to move forward.
The coroner’s report also emphasizes that the promoter has a “shared responsibility” with the RACJ to ensure the safety of boxers and will have to help ensure that the additional requirements suggested can be met in the event that a boxer has been the victim of a KO. during his previous fight.
Yvon Michel, the promoter of the Montreal fight following which Jeanette Zacarias Zapata died, declared in 2021 that no boxer from abroad who suffered a knockout. in his last fight would not be recruited for the galas organized by his company. He is due to comment on the coroner’s report later this afternoon.
