Boxing board in administration

A High Court judge this afternoon placed the British Boxing Board of Control in receivership after it said it was unable to pay a £1 million judgment awarded to brain-damaged boxer Michael Watson.

A High Court judge this afternoon placed the British Boxing Board of Control in receivership after it said it was unable to pay a £1 million judgment awarded to brain-damaged boxer Michael Watson.

Watson was awarded the settlement earlier this year when a judge ruled the BBBC was liable for the brain injuries Watson received in a title fight eight years ago against Chris Eubank.

Watson is reported to have lost half of his brain function and is paralyzed on his left side and claimed he didn't receive proper medical attention at ringside in the World Boxing Organization super-middleweight title in September 1991.

The BBBC has appealed the award. Lawyers for Watson told the judge they believed the BBBC could comfortably pay the claim and said the BBC received four percent of the purses of 200 fight annually.

The court appointed as joint administrators Ladislav Hornan and Andrew Andronikou of the accounting firm Hacker Young and Partners.

"The board will continue to exercise its regulatory and licensing functions as normal under the supervision of the joint administrators and under the protection of the administration order," Hacker Young said in a brief statement.