Former boxer Paul Smith says fighters are being "hurt, exploited or forgotten"
Former boxer Paul Smith says fighters are being "hurt, exploited or forgotten" in a system with no proper safety net. His comments came as the Global Fighters' Association (GFA) set out plans for a sweeping inquiry into how combat sports treat the people who take part in them.
Smith knows the pressure of the ring well. He challenged three times for a world title at super-middleweight, a division with a limit of 168 pounds (76kg), before retiring in 2017. BBC Sport reported his view that the sport lets fighters down once the bell has gone.
The GFA was set up last year with the aim of creating a union to safeguard fighters' futures. Simon Bazalgette is its chair designate, and Paul Maloney is its acting general secretary. The organisation is a non-profit, and it wants to raise £500,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the inquiry.
The inquiry is the centrepiece. The GFA says it aims to launch the "biggest ever inquiry into health and safety in combat sport". It will look at the safety, governance and treatment of combat sports participants at every level, from grassroots clubs to the professional ranks. Barrister Jonathan Caplan KC has been secured to lead the process. He will produce a report on the evidence and testimonies gathered.
The GFA also hopes the inquiry will help it become "the new umbrella organisation for all combat sport". Its wider campaign covers fair contracts, better pay, insurance and pensions, proper health and safety standards, and an official channel for fighters to report problems.
The need for that last point is something the GFA says it has already seen. Public fundraisers in recent months helped fighters such as Lee Reeves pay for emergency care after serious injuries. Many fighters, especially those outside the top tier, have no employer's medical cover or pension to fall back on, so the GFA argues a collective body is needed.
British MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter Michael "Venom" Page has also urged fighters to form a union to campaign for better pay. His call adds weight to a theme that is growing across the sport, though the GFA's plans are still at an early stage.
Boxing has some legal protection already. In the United States, the Muhammad Ali Act, a 2000 law, was designed to protect boxers' rights and to combat potential monopolies, where a small group controls too much of the sport.
For a casual fan, the most striking part of the story is where the GFA wants to look. Much of the attention on fights focuses on the result. This inquiry would look at contracts, insurance and what happens to a fighter after the injury. The £500,000 target has yet to be reached, and the inquiry's findings are still to come.
