Amy Lavelle Browne leaves the Glebe Coroners Court after hearing the inquiry findings into the death of her husband. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer "Boxing is an inherently dangerous activity and it exposes the contestants to a risk of serious injury," Ms O'Sullivan said. "Tragically, the evidence of this inquest has established that Davey's death was preventable. "The seriousness of his condition at the end of round 11 was recognised by a number of witnesses present at the time, albeit with the benefit of hindsight. Action could have been taken to examine Davey and stop the fight prior to the point when it ended in the 12th round." It was a blow in the 12th round that killed him.

David Browne's death was "preventable". Browne was feeling well as he entered the fight against Philippine boxer Carlo Magali, and by the 11th round he was clearly winning the fight. But as the round was drawing to a close, Magali threw a number of punches that threw Browne onto the ropes, and video evidence showed that he was unsteady and possibly stumbling as he returned to his corner. David Browne snr speakes to media outside the Coroner's Court. Credit:Louise Hall Expert witness Brian Owler, a neurosurgeon, told the inquest it was obvious he was suffering from concussion and was in a "perilous state" from that point onward.

The men in Browne's corner also recognised the boxer was not ready for the final round and tried to stall the referee. But Browne insisted he would be all right to continue and they never seriously considered throwing in the towel. David Browne with wife Amy Lavelle Browne. "It was apparent … that Davey was winning and he only had to survive the final round to win the fight," Ms O'Sullivan found. "This would have provided a compelling incentive to continue. Paradoxically, Davey's strong position in the fight also meant that Mr Magali would be trying to knock Davey out, as that was the only way to win the contest." Given these competing considerations, she did not consider that the cornermen should be criticised for failing to stop the fight.

But she said the sports inspectors Paul Toweel and Darren Perkins had a duty to stop the fight, and failed to detect what was evident to the cornermen about Browne's fitness. Dr Noonan was also comforted that Browne was responding to his corner during the break between rounds, and despite being aware that he had just received his second head injury, he did not approach the corner to assess his condition. "Dr Noonan's reliance on the fact that the referee had not stopped the fight, and on Davey's responses to his corner, were a manifestly inadequate method to assess whether Davey had sustained or recovered from concussion and whether he was fit to continue. "The CCTV footage shows he remained in his seat throughout the break, glancing over to the corner a couple of times but otherwise looking around the ring and completing some paperwork." Browne died in Liverpool Hospital from an acute subdural haemotoma.

His wife Amy Levelle Browne said he was a gentle, generous and loving man who left behind two children, and the recommendations from the inquest would improve the safety of boxing competitions. "I think if he were up looking down he would be proud, just to have that feeling that it wasn't all for nothing," she said outside the court. "Something good has come out of it." Ms O'Sullivan recommended that the Minister of Sport consider whether the obligations on medical practitioners to stop combat sports contests should be amended, that the Office of Sport develop training programs and amend the combat sports rules to provide a means for attending medical practitioners to indicate the need for an examination and for promoters to have an evacuation plan for medical emergencies prior to a boxing contest.