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The wife of professional boxer David "Davey" Browne, who died after a bout in 2015, has told a coronial inquest safety procedures at the fatal Sydney match were inadequate.
Browne Junior was competing in a 12-round bout for a super featherweight title at Ingleburn in the city's south-west, when he was knocked unconscious in the final round of the fight.
The 28-year-old later died in hospital.
At the State Coroner's Court in Glebe, Amy Lavelle was composed as she described how her husband appeared to deteriorate during the match.
Ms Lavelle said she became particularly concerned after the 11th round.
"I just thought 'oh, surely they won't let him go out. I mean, if he does, that means he must be OK. Because these people know what they're doing, right?'"
Ms Lavelle said she had a sinking feeling and that "there was still plenty of opportunity to see how bad he was".
"There was just sign after sign that he wasn't in a good state and none of them got acted on or acknowledged," she said.
Browne sustained a fatal blow in the 12th round, and Ms Lavelle said that contrary to the Combat Sports Authority regulations, "safety just wasn't there at all".
"It was just all about him getting to the end, him getting the title belt. He was the local favourite," she said.
"I get all that, but he died."
Ms Lavelle's mother provided emergency first aid on the night.
"My mum came and got me and said 'I think you should come over', so I went over to the ring and I held his hand," Ms Lavelle said.
"Obviously it has been a big wake-up call for everyone.
"I just feel like in general the sport in Australia is not to the standard that it perhaps is in other countries.
"When it comes down to the safety of it — who wins, who loses, titles, whatever — that should just go out the window if they're not doing well."
The hearing continues.
Topics: boxing, sport, courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, ingleburn-2565, nsw