‘clearly stronger’ rival:Kickboxer died in ‘mismatch’ fight

The family of a kickboxer who died after being knocked out during a fight has raised concerns that she was mismatched with a “much bigger” competitor.

Saeideh Aletaha, 26, collapsed in a bathroom after she took a blow to the head during the third round of her bout with Janie Morgan at a showcase event.

She was rushed to Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire, but tragically died on November 16, 2019, a day after the Fast and Furious Fight Series contest in the city.

Ms Aletaha – who was born into a religious and educated family in Iran – wanted to prove to people that a “Muslim Lady” can compete in extreme sports even if she is wearing a Hijab, her relatives said.

An inquest into her death opened today at Winchester Coroner’s Court and Ms Aletaha’s brothers claimed that her opponent, 34-year-old Ms Morgan, was “very clearly stronger” and “more muscled”.

The family of the kickboxer, who was a product design engineer after graduating from Loughborough University, told of their “devastation” at losing her.

Her brothers, Amir and Ali, watched the hearing remotely and raised concerns over a potential mismatch.

They even requested Ms Morgan attend the inquest in person to “assess” her physique, but coroner Christopher Wilkinson rejected the request as it was “of little benefit” because the bout was almost two years ago.

In a statement, Ms Aletaha’s family said: “In her chosen sport, Saeideh always used to send her picture with her opponent before each match.

“However, we did note that for her last match she had cut the picture of her opponent and sent only her own picture.

“We now think that if she had shared her opponent’s picture, Amir would have certainly commented about their physical differences and the fact her opponent seemed bigger and more muscled.

“The night before the match she had mentioned to her Sister, Sepideh, that she was stressed but never mentioned the reason.”