Estate of Boxer Killed in Ring May Pursue Athletic Commission

The estate of a professional boxer who died of brain injuries sustained in a Youngstown, Ohio, bout can go forward with a $25 million lawsuit against the state athletic commission, an Ohio appeals court ruled.

A reasonable fact finder could conclude that the commission acted with conscious disregard or indifference toward boxer Hamzah Al-Jahmi’s safety by appointing a referee who lacked any knowledge of head injuries to officiate the bout, which unreasonably increased the risk of injury, the Tenth Appellate District of the Ohio Court of Appeals said.

By failing to assess Al-Jahmi and stop the bout after he was ...