Dar es Salaam. A series of incidents has highlighted the severe consequences of boxers failing to undergo costly MRI or CT scans, exposing some fighters to life-changing injuries, permanent disabilities and even death.
Across Tanzania’s professional boxing circles, concerns are growing that inadequate medical screening is leaving athletes vulnerable to undetected brain injuries.
While regulations exist to guide pre-fight medical checks, the absence of mandatory advanced brain scans has become a point of debate among stakeholders, former champions and medical experts.
Among those affected is the family of former boxing legend Rashid Matumla, alias Snake Boy. Despite his celebrated status in and outside Tanzania, Matumla says he finds little joy in life because of what boxing has done to his family.
In an interview with The Citizen, Matumla recounted the ordeal of his eldest son, Mohammed Matumla “Snake Boy Jr”, who suffered a permanent head disability that shattered his dream of becoming a celebrated professional boxer.
The 2024 regulations of the Tanzania Professional Boxing Regulatory Commission (TPBRC) stress the importance of medical examinations before and after fights, but do not make MRI or CT scans mandatory.
Regulation 4.1.2 states that every professional boxer must undergo a medical examination by a commission-licensed doctor recognised by the Tanzania Sports Medicine Association (Tasma) at least 14 days before a fight. Based on the results, the doctor determines whether the boxer is fit to compete.
International boxing rules also require medical assessments, although brain MRI and CT scans are generally recommended only in special circumstances or at intervals determined by governing bodies, rather than before every fight.
For example, the International Boxing Association (IBA), formerly AIBA, recommends MRI or CT scans before major tournaments such as world championships. The scans are also required if a boxer suffers a knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO).
Matumla’s painful story
Speaking in a voice filled with emotion, Matumla said: “I am not happy with life. I invested everything in my son because I wanted him to become a champion who would win titles both locally and internationally, just as football legend Ally Pazi Samatta’s name continues to live on through his son Mbwana Samatta.”
He said his son’s journey in boxing was once full of promise, discipline and ambition, with expectations that he would carry forward the Matumla legacy in the ring. But everything changed suddenly in the years leading up to his professional bout.
He recalled that in 2017, before his son’s fight against Mfaume Mfaume, the young boxer had begun behaving strangely, a development that in hindsight now raises troubling questions about his medical readiness for the sport.
“After making inquiries, I was told that he had been struck on the head with a baton by a police officer.
He took medication and appeared to recover, and we resumed preparations for his fight,” he said.
That incident, Matumla believes, may have been an early warning sign of deeper neurological damage that was never properly diagnosed due to the absence of advanced brain imaging.
Before the bout, Mohammed underwent routine medical checks, including HIV, eye and malaria tests, but did not have an MRI or CT scan. Like many professional boxers in Tanzania, he was cleared based on standard examinations that do not detect hidden brain trauma.
“During the fight, he completed several rounds before collapsing. Blood was flowing from his nose and he was rushed to hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). A CT scan later revealed an injury at the back of his head. The punch he received appears to have aggravated an existing wound,” Matumla explained.
Doctors later discovered that blood was leaking into his brain, a condition that required urgent and delicate surgical intervention. The diagnosis marked a turning point in the young boxer’s life and effectively ended his sporting ambitions.
“They told us he would have to take medication for the rest of his life and never box again,” he said quietly.
Life after the ring
Matumla added that his son has no health insurance and receives treatment at Muhimbili National Hospital, where his medication costs at least Sh50,000 a month.
“When he misses his medication, he suffers greatly. Doctors stressed that taking medicine every day is essential for maintaining his condition,” he said.
The financial burden, he added, has placed immense pressure on the family, especially given the long-term nature of treatment required for brain-related injuries.
Mwananchi Communications Limited sports writer Olipa Assa (left) interviews professional female boxer Jesca Mfinanga during a recent engagement. PHOTO | COURTESY
Matumla himself also requires lifelong medication because of chronic back problems and says he constantly experiences head pain, a reminder of his own years in the ring.
He now hopes to find a sponsor to help him undergo further examinations and ease the cost of medical care for both him and his son.
“Someone paid for a one-year insurance policy for me, which expired in 2025 and cost Sh1.5 million. My medication costs no less than Sh50,000 a month.
Anyone willing to sponsor medical cover for my son and I would be helping us enormously,” he said.
He noted that many former boxers suffer from long-term problems affecting their hands, heads, shoulders and backs because of years of intense training and repeated blows during competition.
However, Matumla insisted that he is not discouraging young people from taking up boxing. Instead, he said he is exposing the realities and challenges of the sport, which he believes could be eased through stronger government support, better regulation and improved welfare systems for fighters.
He also urged boxing managers to prioritise medical examinations for their fighters in order to help save lives and prevent avoidable tragedies.
“When my son suffered his injury, his manager stood with us until he was discharged from hospital. I am also a boxing coach and I constantly remind fighters that good health is their greatest asset so that what happened to my son does not happen to them,” he said.
High costs keep boxers away from scans
Tanzania Professional Boxers Association (TPBA) secretary Salum Mgeni, who also competes in the 63kg–66kg weight category, admitted that he is among the many boxers who have never undergone MRI or CT scans because of the high cost.
“Although there are regulations governing boxers’ health, the type of medical examinations often depends on the nature of the fight. The routine tests usually include HIV, blood sugar, malaria, eye examinations, liver tests and pregnancy tests for women,” he said.
He noted that only a few financially capable boxers undergo MRI or CT scans, mostly for special or high-profile fights.
“For example, if a boxer is fighting an international opponent or travelling abroad to compete, such examinations become mandatory,” he said.
Mgeni said the association had already raised concerns about the gap in medical coverage and had proposed that boxers be provided with health insurance under the TPBRC framework. However, the proposal has yet to be implemented.
“We urge the government to help us identify hospitals that can offer these scans at subsidised rates, perhaps around Sh250,000. The risks are real. Some of our colleagues have died while others have suffered permanent disabilities,” he said.
As debates continue, stakeholders say the case of Mohammed Matumla serves as a stark reminder of the hidden dangers within the sport, and the urgent need for stronger medical safeguards to protect fighters before they step into the ring.
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