“We genuinely believed he was safe. When I asked if he would be OK, I took it as gospel. I feel like we have been misled for years”
“We genuinely believed he was safe. When I asked if he would be OK, I took it as gospel. I feel like we have been misled for years”
The heartbroken parents of champion kickboxer Alex Eastwood said they “would never in a million years” have allowed the teenager to compete had they known the “mind-blowing” lack of regulations in place.
Alex, 15, from Fazakerley, died on July 2, 2024, three days after suffering a “catastrophic” head injury while competing in an unsanctioned match. The world championship winner fought three individual rounds at the TKMA gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan, before collapsing.
He was taken to Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan, where he was placed in an induced coma before being transferred to Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed. He died in the early hours of July 2, surrounded by his family.
An inquest this week found there were “no minimum standards” for health and safety at the fundraising event, which had been arranged by TKMA gym owner Dale Bannister and Alex’s coach, Dan Wigglesworth.
The court heard kickboxing authorities, such as Kickboxing GB, usually only sanctioned large competitions and shows and that it was up to individual promoters to regulate their own events.
Kickboxing clubs are not required to register with governing authorities, and many are independently run and regulated – including Hurricane Combat and Fitness, where Alex trained.
Speaking to the ECHO, Alex’s heartbroken parents, dad Stephen and stepmum Nikita, said the shocking revelations had left them feeling “broken”.
Stephen said: “We trusted the club with Alex. To think we put all our trust in them. For all that to come out in the courtroom, it blew my mind. I was in shock. I had given them so much respect. I let them carry my son (at his funeral) and lay him in the ground with me.
“Now I look at Alex’s medals, and I don’t think most of his fights were sanctioned. Even the tournaments he went to.
“These gyms are taking kids around the country, around the world, and basically allowed to make the rules up among themselves. There has to be a minimum standard for running a gym with children in it. I don’t understand how you can run a gym for so many years without a safeguarding policy in place.
“I travelled the country and looked at the world stage with Alex. You just want the best for your child. Kickboxing was Alex’s life; he enjoyed it so much. It was what he was best at in the world, and what he achieved in a short space of time was incredible. But if I knew the things I know now, I would never have taken him there in a million years.”
Alex started kickboxing when he was nine years old and soared through the ranks, achieving six championship wins in his short but successful career. He was due to represent Great Britain at the World Kickboxing Championships in Portugal in October 2024.
Coroner Michael Pemberton ruled his death a misadventure, the unintended consequence of a deliberate act. He said: “The evidence I have heard in this case reflects a chaotic and somewhat disjointed approach to children in sports, in which I’m not satisfied participants or their parents are made fully aware of the risk.
“I believe a level of confidence in the perceived safeguards that would be expected to exist to protect a child undertaking these activities is sadly lacking.”
During the inquest, 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.”
Nikita said: “We’re never going to be the way we were, but if this happens again and no lessons were learned, it would rake everything back up. We don’t want another parent to ever feel this pain, because it is sickening.
“There’s more rules in place for football than for kickboxing. We know that now. We genuinely thought and believed he was safe. When I asked if he would be OK, I took it as gospel. I feel like we have been misled for years.
“I genuinely believed these children were safe, looked after and protected. I hand on heart never thought this would happen to anyone, adult or child.
“Not only has this impacted our lives, but knowing what we now know about kickboxing and how basically they can do what they want, I will never put my children in another gym again.”
The parents have now vowed to fight for change in kickboxing regulations, which their solicitor Jill Paterson described as “the wild wild west – with no consistent rules, no oversight, and no accountability when it comes to unsanctioned kickboxing bouts involving children.”
Stephen said: “I always thought I’d rather have my child in the gym, having a structured lifestyle, than out on the streets. It’s what Alex loved and it cost him his life. I felt a lot of guilt about what happened. We were just trying to be good parents and support Alex to follow his dreams.
“The government has to step in and make a minimum standard for people running these gyms with children. We have got to protect our kids. It’s going to happen again if we don’t.
“We will do whatever we can to campaign for change. We will do whatever we can as parents to implement change for children. We thought it was all above board. To have everything explode like it has was absolutely mind-blowing.
“Alex was a superstar. He didn’t deserve any of this. He was a lovely boy. He wouldn’t have harmed a fly. He’d always come down to someone’s level, he’d never overstep the mark, he was always polite. I just wish other people had loved him as much as us.”
In a statement provided to the BBC, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Whilst the government does not, and should not, directly regulate sport, it is clear lessons must be learned.” She said her department was “exploring ways to improve the safety and welfare of children in martial arts”.
Ian Hollett, owner of Hurricane Combat and Fitness, said: “We are utterly devastated by the loss of Alex, who truly was a wonderful, kind and exceptionally talented boy. He was a beautiful and loving soul who was the epitome of excellence, humility and generosity.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, and we are deeply sorry for their loss. We thank the coroner for his thorough investigation and fully welcome any recommendations made that will help prevent another tragedy like this happening again.”
David Pearson a solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter, who is representing the club said: “This unimaginable tragedy has brought into sharp focus the need for further regulation in all combat sports involving children across the country. We would welcome any future recommendations made.”
