Comment: Scott Westgarth's death will raise questions about boxing - but let's make sure we ask the right ones

This past weekend was set to be a great one for local boxing, with intriguing cards taking place in Manchester, London and Doncaster featuring a host of domestic talent.

Now, it’ll forever be remembered as the weekend that we sadly lost one of those fighters.

Scott Westgarth won his English light-heavyweight title eliminator against Dec Spelman via a 10 round decision in Doncaster, only to be taken ill backstage. The rest of the show was cancelled and Westgarth, 31, passed away in hospital.

The news has, unsurprisingly, devastated the entire boxing community and, even less surprisingly, led to a strong response in article comments and on social media.

Right now, the only thing that matters is getting Scott’s friends and family through this difficult time. But, when the time is right, we won’t be able to stop ourselves from wondering: is the backlash the sport receives after each serious injury – or worse – in fact justified?

READ MORE: British boxer Westgarth dies aged 31 after winning fight

The fair answer is yes and no. And that’s because the nature of the backlash can usually be sorted into two very distinct categories.

On the one hand, will be constructive debate. Can boxing do more to prevent things like this from happening? What should be done? Will the sport have the integrity to provide additional protection to the combatants who keep the wheels spinning, even if it eats into their profits in the short-term?

This is an issue that will never die down, and nor should it. We should always be on an endless pursuit of improved safety, better conditions for the people who love fighting for a living right down to the 5am starts and the anti-social training camps, let alone the punches to the head. And it isn’t just about the physicality when the bell rings: we’ve all heard some of the horror stories surrounding weight cuts and attempts by boxers to use the weight divisions to wangle themselves an advantage.

On the other hand, there’s a wave of reaction to the sad news that is identical to the reaction to any serious injury or worse. It’s usually short, blunt and by design leaves little scope for extended discussion. It also, nine times out of 10, uses the word “barbaric”, “pathetic” and its synonyms make regular appearances, too. “Not a sport” creeps in five or six times.

And I can understand the emotion behind it, I really can. But do we want to be part of the solution or just sit in a crowd pointing at the problems? Because I can tell you right now, boxing isn’t going anywhere. And nor should it.

For every horrible occurrence such as the Westgarth death, there are thousands of boxers improving their lives via the discipline and the sense of belonging that fighting and training to fight provides. For every money-hungry promoter exploiting the talent – and for the record, Eddie Hearn and his team have done everything that could be asked of them thus far – there are hundreds of trainers and matchmakers who really are motivated to get up each morning for this sport, and the people in it – and Matchroom are proving it right now in the wake of this tragedy.

Boxing, and any other fight sport, will never be without casualty. But then, we’ve seen such horrific incidents affect everything from football to motorsports to even non-contact pastimes. To focus one’s crosshairs on an entire livelihood without a shred of nuance or consideration is venting for venting’s sake.

My thoughts are with Scott’s loved ones at this time. One day soon, my thoughts will be focused on what boxing can do, what we can do, what I can do to help ensure moments like this become even more of a rarity than they already are. But now’s not the time. Not for that, not for squabbling, not even for the considered debate.

RIP Scott Westgarth.