A BRAIN injury charity has called for boxing to be banned after the death of Mike Towell.

Headway paid tribute to Mike, 25, but questioned how many more fighters would be damaged by the 'senseless sport'.

The Dundee boxer lost his fight for life after collapsing in the ring on Thursday following a barrage of blows to the head from Dale Evans, 24.

The ring tragedy comes less than seven months since Nick Blackwell suffered bleed on the skull after 10 rounds with Chris Eubank Jr.

Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway, said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of this tragic loss of life.

"This was a young father in the prime of his life and our heartfelt thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.

"Quite rightly, the focus at this time should be on supporting the family. But the question remains: how many more lives have to be damaged or lost before this senseless sport is banned?

"Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. It is another in a long line of boxing tragedies where lives have been lost or irreparably damaged as a result of brain injury.

"Only recently, fellow boxer Nick Blackwell was left in a coma following a bout with Chris Eubank Jnr.

"After that fight, we repeated our concerns that more young men and women are risking their lives by taking part in boxing.

"We said at the time, and many times previously, that as long as boxing is allowed to continue, more and more young lives will be damaged or lost as a result of opponents deliberately trying to cause neurological harm to each other.

"Tragically, the lessons have not been learned and this young family is paying the ultimate price."

The British Medical Association has also labelled boxing a "bad idea" and a "dangerous sport".

Dr Otmar Kloiber, of the World Medical Association, said: "It is very clear that the ongoing concussions you get from that damage to the brain all the time, alters brain function and can also lead to immediately serious conditions.

"These can lead to a rupture in the brain or a haematoma in the brain which then can endanger the life of the sports person directly."

Dr Kloiber said there are two main types of injuries with trauma to the head, the first being a knock or hit which results in small bleedings around or in the brain that develop over time.

"That may take hours to develop. What then happens is that the pressure within the skull is building up and compresses the brain down to the brain stem, which finally kills you.

"If there is no immediate damage the next day or immediately, by hitting your head time after time after time it has been shown there are alterations in the brain.

"We are more and more aware that this is silently going on and producing damage to the brain."

He added: "The bottom line is boxing from a medical point of view is a very bad idea."

Veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn, 81, who joined the shadow cabinet this year, called for blows to the head to be banned through a private member's bill in 1998 and in 2005 - both failed.

Reacting to the death of Mike, he said: "I think the consciences of people in the sport are aroused by tragedies of this kind and I think people should be aware of the dangers.

"We ought to change the rules in many sports and realise that the head is a very delicate part of the body and to protect it, and minimise the number of blows the brain suffers."

The shadow House of Commons leader said although there are many dangers in sports, the "worst example is boxing"

He added: "The whole purpose of the sport is to render the opponent unconscious.

"We know blows to the head cause cumulative damage in many sports. We need to look at the rules and make sure they are far safer than they have been in the past."

He said the greatest problem is the "invisible brain damage" which results in many boxers suffering from premature Alzheimer's and dementia later in life.

The British Boxing Board of Control, the sport's governing body and licensing authority, has yet to comment.