Teenage Boxer Declared Brain Dead After Collapsing During State Championship Bout, Father Claims There Weren't Enough Ambulances

The teenaged boxer collapsed and was given medical assistance but was declared brain dead on Monday (September 23).

Karan Pipaliya, a 19-year-old boxer from Surat, was declared brain dead on Monday (September 23). The teenaged boxer had sustained injuries and collapsed during a Gujarat State Boxing Championships bout for Senior Men and Women in Mehsana last week. Pipalia, who was featuring in the 63.5 kg weight class against Harshvardhan Rathod at the Sardar Patel Sports Complex in Panchot, after being deemed "unfit" by the referee after the conclusion of the first two rounds.

As per information corroborated by boxing selector Dushyant Patel, Rathod had a clear advantage after the first two rounds after which the official had to intervene. He said that Pipaliya was first declared unfit before adding: "Thereafter, he collapsed and was given immediate medical assistance."

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"If Karan felt he was not in a position to continue, he should have withdrawn from the bout," Karan added as quoted by TOI.

The same report suggests that Pipaliya suffered a brain haemorrhage for which he underwent surgery at a private hospital in Mehsana. He was then transferred to the SIMS hospital in Surat on Sunday in view of his declining health conditions.

Karan Pipaliya's Father Alleges There Weren't Enough Ambulances At The Event

Notably, Karan Pipaliya's father alleged that there were not enough ambulances at the state-level boxing meet and his son was taken to the hospital in a car.

"The event had 150-odd participants but there were not enough ambulances. I learned that my son was taken to hospital in a private car as there was only one ambulance. If there had been an ambulance available, my son could have received prompt treatment and could have been saved. I request the organizers to have adequate ambulances to ensure that such a thing doesn't happen again. Maro Chirag buji gayo, bija koi no na bujvo joie (My Chirag got extinguished, this should not happen to anyone else's son)," Bharat Pipaliya, Karan's father, said as quoted by the aforementioned publication.

Meanwhile, the medical officer at SIMS has confirmed that Karan is brain dead and currently on life support.