Fighters exploited & forgotten in failing system – Smith

Fighters are being "hurt, exploited or forgotten" in a failing system, says former boxer Paul Smith, who has criticised a lack of support for athletes. Former British champion Paul Smith is one of the key people behind the initiative Smith is part of a team set up to represent fighters and safeguard their futures, with the group aiming to launch the "biggest ever inquiry into health and safety in combat sport". The group, called the Global Fighters' Association (GFA), wants the inquiry to provide the platform for it to become "the new umbrella organisation for all combat sport". It was set up last year with the aim of creating a union to safeguard fighters' futures.

The GFA says it wants to campaign for fair contracts and better pay, insurance and pensions, proper health and safety standards and somewhere for fighters to report problems to an official channel. It points to public fundraisers in recent months which have helped fighters such as Lee Reeves pay for emergency care after serious injuries. Smith, who challenged three times for a super-middleweight world title before his retirement in 2017, says it is a "failing" of the system when fighters like Reeves have to raise money to pay for recovery. "Every week, somewhere in this sport, a fighter is hurt, exploited or forgotten, and the