On Saturday, September 21st, 2024, a terrible drama occurred at the state amateur boxing championships of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania regional association. At the competitions in Güstrow, a boxer suddenly falls unconscious after winning a boxing match. Just a few days later, the Bentwisch boxer “Arti” died in the University Hospital in Rostock.
What had happened?
The first fight of the championships went over time. Spectators and eyewitnesses will later report that the fight was balanced and that none of the opponents noticed any particularly hard or many blows. When the verdict was announced, the experienced referee of the duel was probably the first to notice that the Bentwisch pugilist didn’t seem to be doing well. The ref accompanied the fighter, who was now unsteady on his feet and consciously altered, back to his corner. The young athlete’s condition has now deteriorated rapidly. According to a report in the Ostsee-Zeitung, the ring doctor present immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation and took over care in the corner. The athlete was placed on the floor, where he became unconscious shortly afterwards and then required resuscitation.
A team of two doctors and a paramedic immediately provided first aid
To support the ring doctor, another doctor sitting in the audience and a paramedic who was also present as a spectator rushed over and ensured resuscitation until the alert emergency team arrived. After a good 2 minutes, the Bentwischer’s own circuit was registered again. He was accompanied by the emergency medical service, first flown to the clinic in Güstrow and later that evening to the university clinic in Rostock. He was also protectively intubated and put into an artificial coma – a very common procedure after a cardiac arrest and a potentially critical patient condition.
3 days later the certainty: Arti has lost his last and hardest fight
On Thursday, various media outlets and his hometown club, FSV Bentwisch, announced that their protégé Richard – “Arti” had succumbed to his injuries. He is described as an “extremely disciplined, prepared and focused boxer who enriched his team with a lot of warmth, kindness and goodness.” The club – understandably – does not provide any information about the cause of the athlete’s death.
And suddenly a young up-and-coming boxer is dead – why?
Out of consideration for the family and the surviving relatives, this article is not intended to provide an extensive platform for speculation – especially since those directly involved have already had to read their real names in articles from other media and, as BOXEN1 has learned from a private source, this has already led to a lot of inappropriate questions à la “tell “Let’s see what exactly happened.” However, we do not want to leave this question completely unanswered, as it is relevant for active athletes.
Without our editorial team knowing what the exact cause of death of the Bentwisch young boxer was, a brain injury or possibly an undetected, pre-existing illness could be the cause.
Since the spectators present did not notice any particularly hard blows during the fight, a pre-existing illness or injury to cerebral vessels could also have been the trigger – if previously damaged, these can rupture even as a result of relatively minor trauma or blows and trigger a cerebral hemorrhage, which is one of the events described symptoms of the boxer would fit.
In the field of professional boxing, such a vascular change would possibly be discovered in the mandatory MRI scan of the head before a license is initially granted. However, there are no mandatory imaging procedures in amateur boxing, as the costs for MRI or CT scans are very high at just under €600 per examination and are logistically difficult to implement. In addition, amateur boxing matches are considered to be less intense compared to professional boxing, which reduces the risk of injury. Instead, more frequent neurological examinations and clinical checks, such as the mandatory annual general examination, are used to monitor health status. It is all the more important that this examination is carried out carefully. Imaging procedures are usually only used when symptoms or injuries indicate a potential problem.
We at BOXEN1 wish the bereaved, the family and friends as well as the club mates of “Arti” a lot of strength for the time ahead and would like to express our deep condolences. We would also like to thank the fight officials, the ring doctor present and the spectators who rushed to the scene for their commitment in the fight for the life of the young amateur boxer.
