"Had this been a sanctioned event...these boys would never have been put in the ring together"

Alex Eastwood suffered a head injury while competing in a kickboxing bout and later died

A 15-year-old boy tipped to compete for Team GB died after suffering a head injury during a kickboxing match.

Alex Eastwood had been competing in an unsanctioned competition when he suffered a head injury and collapsed on June 29. He was taken to Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan and placed in an induced coma.

The teenager, from Fazakerley in Merseyside, would later be transferred over to Manchester Children's Hospital to have emergency surgery for a bleed on his brain. Tragically he deteriorated before passing away on July 2, the Echo reports.

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Alex's dad Stephen Eastwood paid tribute to his son in an inquest at Bolton Coroners' Court which investigated his death.

"I'd just like people to remember him as the wonderful, beautiful soul that he was," said Mr Eastwood. "He was a lovely boy. He was a beautiful, beautiful soul and I want everybody to know that."

Alex was a high level athlete and had been tipped to represent Team GB at the kickboxing world championships.

Mr Eastwood explained that Alex's coach Dan Wigglesworth had approached them about the charity match around ten weeks before it was scheduled.

They subsequently heard the match was not going ahead, but then 10 days before the match were again contacted and told it was back on.

The family arrived for the match at about 6pm on Saturday June 29, where Alex warmed up and put on his protective gear before the rules were explained to participants.

But his dad recalled that Alex's head guard had been "loose".

"If I remember clearly his head guard came loose a few times in the second round," he said. "Usually on a mat he would call time. I did shout him a few times because it had come loose in that round."

The match was paused so that Alex could adjust his head guard, but he then appeared to be slowing down in the final round.

"At the end of the fight he was holding onto one of the ropes, head down," said Mr Eastwood. "We knew he had lost the fight. He turned to face the corner of the ring.

"The opponent came up to shake Alex's hand. Alex just made a gesture. Within a matter of seconds Alex walked to the ropes, started punching the air, and slumped over the ropes."

Mr Eastwood recalled the horrifying moment he rushed to help his son.

"I shouted to the coach to grab my son", he said. "At that point I took matters into my own hands. I ran up to the ring, dived into the ring and managed to get Alex before anyone else.

"I grabbed hold of my son and laid him down in the ring. At that point it turned into a chaotic scenario. There were two first aiders in the ring. I was pacing around the ring, using profanities and swearing.

"My son's breathing was like a big bulldog on a hot day, struggling, raspy and gargling. At that point I noticed an oxygen container still in the first aiders' bag. I shouted 'get that oxygen on my son'. People kept saying he's just tired, he's exhausted, he's going to be all right."

Mr Eastwood said he believed it took between 10 and 12 minutesfor Alex to receive oxygen saying it "felt like a lifetime".

Mr Eastwood also raised concerns about the provision of first aid at the event.

He said: "At the start it was my concern that the medical treatment he received, in my opinion, was nowhere near adequate enough."

Paramedics arrived at the scene and Alex was taken to hospital.

The 15-year-old had suffered "catastrophic damage" from the brain bleed.

Mr Eastwood said: "They fixed the bleed on the brain to a certain degree, but the swelling they couldn't control. The surgeons were basically saying that was it, that's the condition he would be in from that point.

"He remained on life support and everybody came to say their goodbyes. We stayed with him until late on the first (of July). At that point we took everyone home and came back to Manchester Children's Hospital, and that's when he passed away."

Alex was a black belt in kickboxing, and had been trained in a light contact style of the sport which emphasised controlled strikes and out-pointing an opponent.

The match was organised as three two-minute, light contact bouts in a kickboxing ring, and was not officially sanctioned by a UK authority in kickboxing.

His opponent was described as having had training in full contact kickboxing, which fights to knockout.

Hurricane coach Dan Wigglesworth helped arrange the fight with TKMA owner Dale Bannister.

Mr Wigglesworth said: "I did some research about his opponent, which I spoke to Ian (Hollett - Hurricane Combat and Fitness owner) about, and we agreed it was a good match up.

"They are both the same weight, they are both in the same age bracket, and physical level and ability is the final thing that comes into it, and we agreed it would be a competitive bout for Alex and a good experience for him."

However it would later emerge that Alex's opponent was in an older age bracket than Alex, the 16-18 category.

Mr Wigglesworth said it was not unusual for fighters to compete with a group above their own.

Adam Korn, representing Alex's family, said: "Had this been a sanctioned fight, these two boys would not have been in the same category.

"Had this been a sanctioned event by WAKO (the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations) or Kickboxing GB, these boys would never have been put in the ring together."

Mark Watkins is a board member for Kickboxing GB. Mr Watkins explained that kickboxing authorities will generally only officially sanction larger shows and competitions.

Nonetheless, it would be understood that individual clubs should always abide by the rules of the governing authorities, including in unsanctioned matches.

Mr Wigglesworth also explained that it is the responsibility of match organisers to arrange medical assistance, ranging from first aid to doctors depending on the size of the event.

Coroner Michael Pemberton noted: "There is no minimum level of regulation in terms of what is medically available in competitions involving children."

Alex has started kickboxing when he was 10 years old. He had a reputation as a high-level competitor in the sport and won six championships over a short career.

He had been scheduled to to compete in the Leeds Open on June 30, the day after his Wigan match.

Alex completed his GCSEs only one week before the match.

His parents decided to donate his organs following his tragic and premature death, which saved the lives of six people.

Paying tribute to Alex at his funeral in July 2024, his step-mum Nikita said: "For someone who was so skilled and feared on the mat, he was so gentle and so loving and had no malice toward anyone or anything, except maths.

"He may have been young but his life will not be in vain and his memory will never be forgotten."