What the papers said about . . . Bradley Stone

'Stone, bruised but alert, left the ring at 10pm. 'I'll take a year off,' he said. But by 2.30am he was in a coma.' Times

'Coma tragedy of boxer spurred by love.' Mail

'Stone, from Bethnal Green, acquitted himself well for 10 rounds. But maybe tiredness had set in. Wenton crashed a fearsome left hook to Stone's chin. Stone took three or four more shots before referee John Keane intervened. It was the end of a dream.' Guardian

'It would be cause for regret if the sport were to be banned because of its all too obvious dangers. Risks are part of human life. Indeed, strange creatures that we are, many individuals would find a risk-free life unbearable. This is one of the reasons why pursuits such as rock-climbing, hang-gliding and free-fall parachuting will never lack adherents. So it is with boxing.' Express

'Little hope as beaten boxer fights for life.' Telegraph

'The best arguments to retain boxing as a sport are the oldest. Ban it and we will end up with something akin to cockfighting or dogfighting. Driven underground by outlawing it, boxing would then certainly become a barbaric activity.' Mirror

'Even if the law did dictate against boxing, men would find places to fight for prizes, the way they have done in the past. They would fight because it is in their nature, because it is as much a part of them as music was to Mozart and writing was a part of Dickens.' Independent

'Richie is even willing to give his belt to Bradley.' Sun

'There was no sign of anything untoward. He shook hands with me with a firm grip. His face was still burning from the fight and he had the usual lumps and bumps that a scrapper like Stone might take home with him.' Times

'Only three hours before he died former boxer Michael Watson - who was in a coma for 40 weeks after suffering brain damage during a boxing match in 1991 - visited Stone's bedside to pay his respects.' Mail