JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A World Boxing Council championship belt belonging to former South African President Nelson Mandela has been stolen from a museum in Soweto.

The belt was given to Mandela by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard during one of his visits to South Africa.

It was one of many artifacts inside the Nelson Mandela National Museum museum, a major tourist attraction for local and international travelers.

Mandela, a former amateur boxer, revered the belt and it was prominently displayed in the museum, which is in a house where he once lived.

South African media outlet eNCA reported that police took fingerprints upon learning about the theft.

However, police spokeswoman Dimakatso Sello said that no suspects have been arrested.

Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95.

CHICAGO — For years, researchers have documented the therapeutic benefits of exercise for patients with neurological and movement disorders. Now, a pilot study shows that boxing may ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

About six years ago, retired firefighter Catherine Renar was having difficulty walking and developed pain in her feet.

“I was trying going from doctor to doctor, trying to figure out what was going on and nobody could quite figure it out,” she said.

It was Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis for Renar, a former athlete, was something that redefined who she was as a person.

“I have come to terms with I am not as physically strong as I once was.”

She took up boxing as part of a Parkinson’s Foundation-funded pilot study on its impact on patients.

The program was modified specifically for people with stage two Parkinson’s—when patients have symptoms like tremors, rigidity and difficulty walking.

“No one's going to hit you in the head, and we don't expect you to hit anybody else in the head. So, that is really the difference here. And although it's a basic difference, it's an important difference,” said Dr. Deborah Hall, director of the Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence.

The boxers were then followed for three months.

“We found was that they not only had improvement in their motor symptoms, which has been shown before again in similar pilot studies, but also they had improvement in non-motor symptoms, especially depression,” said study co-author Dr. Abhimanyu Mahajan an assistant professor of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Center.

They also found decreases in anxiety, sleep problems and pain.

And while there have been studies on the benefits of community-based exercise programs on motor symptoms for Parkinson’s patients, less has been done on the impacts on non-motor symptoms.

“Parkinson's is actually a very widespread disorder, and it can cause problems with movement and tremor, but it can also cause these non-motor symptoms, which can be just as impactful and debilitating for people,” said Roshni Patel, the study’s co-author, and a neurologist at the Jessie Brown VA Medical Center.

“Every time I left there I was in a better mood,” said Renar.

She says she felt a difference after each session not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

“You have to really concentrate on your moves. The change-up of movements stimulates the endorphins and the dopamine, which is what we're lacking in our brains. And so, by the end of it, you feel energized,” she said.

Researchers say they hope to do larger, longer-term studies that also target specific non-motor symptoms like apathy.

Two congressmen are expressing concern about Dana White's Power Slap League.

Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. and Don Bacon wrote a letter to Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TBS, which airs the contests.

Here’s our letter demanding answers from @warnerbros @TBSNetwork on their violent new TV show glorifying traumatic brain injury risks. pic.twitter.com/MV4rruLv6a

— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 15, 2023

In the letter, the congressmen claim the programming "glorifies dangerous and aggressive behavior at the expense of its participants' long-term health."

The league features contestants slapping each other across the face as hard as they can. They win a match by knocking out their opponent or inflicting more
damage.

The congressmen expressed concern that the contestants could be putting themselves at risk of traumatic brain injuries by participating in "slap fighting."

"This deadly combination of force, rotation and lack of defensive gear or posture is inexcusable and possibly fatal," the letter states.

Pascrell and Bacon, a Democrat and a Republican, have asked Warner Bros. Discovery to answer a series of questions about whether there is a disclaimer before the show and the long-term health care plan for the contestants.

Warner Bros. has not publicly commented on the letter.

The Nevada Athletic Commission is reportedly considering a proposal to make rule changes for slap-fighting contests following concerns about their safety.

LAS VEGAS — A newly-released 911 call recording from the night of a UNLV fraternity's amateur charity boxing event is shining more light on what happened in the moments after a participant collapsed.

He died days later.

Nathan Valencia, 20, died on Nov. 23 after taking part in a boxing match on Nov. 19.

His death was ruled a homicide by the coroner's office.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told 13 Action News in a statement, "Although Mr. Valencia's death is tragic, the circumstances surrounding his death are not criminal, and no charges will be filed."

The agency says the definition of homicide is "an act of a human killing another person" and that it did not have information that there is any criminality on the part of the venue.

Meanwhile, the Nevada State Athletic Commission investigates the "fight night" event.

Below is a transcript of the 911 call obtained by 13 Action News and provided by Clark County. The transcript has been shortened for clarity, and parts of the recording have been redacted, per HIPAA.

Caller: We are at the Sahara Event Center. There's a roller hockey rink. We need medics here like right now.

911 Operator: What's the number that you're calling from? What happened?

Caller: So we're hosting a fight night for a fraternity's charity, and something happened, and we're not sure what happened. There's a fight that broke out, and one of the fighters, like, actually got injured. The address is 800 Karen Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89109.

Operator: All right, so I just want to make sure, like, when you said you guys are holding a fight event, this wasn't like an assault, correct?

Caller: No. No, not an assault.

Operator: All right. Are you with the patient right now?

Caller: Yes.

Operator: I have help already started, OK? Just a couple of questions. Is there any serious bleeding?

[redacted]

Operator: Is he completely alert?

[redacted]

Operator: Alright, so I have paramedics already on the way, OK? Just stay on the line. I'll tell you exactly what to do next. Just make sure not to do not move him unless he is in danger.

[inaudible]

Caller: He's in the ring. We only have eight people here in the ring. Everyone else is out. We have nurses here, but we need, like, real medical.

Operator: I understand, and they're already on the way, OK? They are coming to you guys, lights and sirens. Just make sure nothing -

Caller: Do you know how long?

Operator: Well, they're coming lights and siren, and so it's just going to be a short time between when they get there, okay? They're not too far from you guys. Just nothing for him to eat or drink. That might make him sick or cause further problems.

Caller: They said to give him water. Like, lots of water.

Operator: No, no, no — do not.

Caller: No water!

Operator: And then do not move him unless it's absolutely necessary. OK?

Caller: OK.

Operator: Alright, I'm going to go ahead and stay on the line with you, okay? As long as I can. Just watch him closely and look for any changes.

Around the five-minute mark of the call, the operator says, "It looks like the ambulance is there. They're going to grab your equipment, and they'll be right in. I need you to tell me as soon as they're inside."

About one minute later, the caller is heard saying, "Oh my god, did he get hit with something or? Is the main event of the fight that happened the last event? If we're being honest, I was in the VIP section, and then a citizen fight kind of broke, but everyone's fine there. And then, all of a sudden, he's on the floor."

Around six minutes and thirty seconds, the caller asks, "Why did I have to be the one to call 9-1-1?"

The operator reassures her by saying, "Because you are the most calm one to do it for me."

At six minutes and 50 seconds, the caller confirms, "Okay, the paramedics are here."

The "fight night" was organized by the Kappa Sigma fraternity, which has had its activities suspended while the incident is investigated. Its international headquarters is also reviewing whether the local chapter followed internal policies and standards.

UNLV has since announced it will start looking into new safety protocols going forward. The university has more than 300 student groups, and it is currently reviewing the safety of all of them.

Scripps' Vegas station KTNV first reported this story.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Preparation and dedication. That’s what led Richard Torrez Jr. to become an Olympic silver medalist.

“I mean, I’ve imagined myself saying it ever since I was a little kid, but to be able to actually say it is amazing," Torrez Jr. said.

By competing in the Tokyo Olympics, he fulfilled a three-generation dream. And on Sunday, the super heavyweight boxer earned a silver medal.

“Ever since I was little, I wanted to be just like my dad. The first time I ever saw him spar, I saw him drop a guy with a body shot and it was the coolest thing I ever saw," Torrez Jr. said.

His dad, Richard Torrez Sr., will be the first to tell you boxing is in the Torrez family blood.

“He didn’t get to finish that Olympic journey and I know that’s been a dream not just of mine but of his and my grandpa's. And to be able to be the one that does it, I’m just happy that I could bear that weight," Torrez Sr. said. “I fought for many years until I was 30. I went to the Olympic trials. I was ranked in two weight classes in the world. Every generation has had successful things and each generation has done a little better and he’s doing the ultimate for us which is the Olympics that we all wanted to go to and he gets to go for us all.”

The history for this central California family traces back to 1945 when Torrez Jr.’s grandfather paved the way with the Tulare Athletic Boxing Club.

“When he passed away, I took over the gym, and my son was very young and he uh, same thing I did, started coming to the gym, and I told my wife if he’s gonna box, he’s gotta box until he’s 16," Torrez Sr. said.

But it didn’t end there.

“I’ve been to 13 different countries. I’ve traveled the world. I got to meet new people," Torrez Jr. said. “It’s taught me about dedication, it’s taught me about post one gratification, it’s taught me about how you have to sacrifice things now for the benefit of the future, and my dad stood on the shoulders of my grandpa and I’m standing on the shoulders of my dad, so I got a pretty good view right now.”

And that view got even closer because, in 2020, the Olympic qualifiers were canceled.

“And man I was really nervous, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know what was going to happen next so I called my dad," Torrez Jr. said.

Richard Torrez Sr. put on one of his many hats and pushed his son to where he is now.

“My dad wears three hats, you know, he’s the coach hat, the dad hat, and the boss hat," Torrez Jr. said.

“It’s going to happen, don’t worry. It’s going to take a little time. It gives us another year to train, to hone our skills, it’s going to happen don’t worry," Torrez Sr. said.

Now, one year later, the 22-year-old can confidently say the wait was worth it.

“That’s a dream we’ve all had and that’s a dream that’s coming true," Torrez Jr. said.

He’s fulfilling the legacies of the boxers before him.

“Him being able to carry on tradition, it validates all the years of hard work," Torrez Sr. said. “Oh my gosh, if he was here, I’d have to push him out of the way to get to him. My dad would be right there with him. My dad had a habit, he’d wipe his mouth, yeah, we made it we did it.”

To many, this may look like a father and son journey, but it is so much more than that.

"I see how he acts inside and outside athletics, see what he does as a person, and I just really want to replicate myself to be just like him," Torrez Jr. said. “It’s the Torrez team it’s not just the two. Having a foundation like my family behind me is the best foundation I could ever have.”

It’s a chance to remind the world that he’s carrying on the Torrez name.

RIVER RIDGE, La. —

Alexis Lavarine is a tremendous basketball player.

In fact, she recently signed a full scholarship to attend Louisiana College this fall.

"I'm really excited to start a new chapter," Lavarine said.

The high school student is truly turning the page because basketball wasn’t her first love.

Boxing was.

"I've always wanted to be in the Olympics," Lavarine said.

After winning six national championships and three world titles in her age division, she was invited to move to Colorado to work with Team USA boxing.

While men's boxing has been an Olympic medal sport since 1904, women's boxing is one of the newer events — it became a medal sport at the London games in 2012.

"I just feel like it's an honor to wear these three letters on my jersey," Lavarine said.

Once a strong candidate to represent her country and go for gold at the Tokyo games, Lavarine has been knocked out of Olympic consideration due to a rule change.

Professional — not just amateur — boxers can now compete in the Olympics, resulting in the minimum age of fighters being raised from 17 to 19 – so Lavarine isn't old enough for the games this summer.

"I just remember like feeling devastated…that all my hard work, it was just like, being taken away from me," she said.

That news, coupled with the pandemic, resulted in the last 12 months being hard for Lavarine.

"I kind of struggled with that, but I used basketball to kind of pick me up and I started doing basketball full time and boxing part-time," she said.

So now it's left-handed layups, instead of left-handed hooks — but Lavarine says a return to the boxing ring is possible.

"You never know what the future holds," she said. "I feel like I should keep training and maybe I'll go pro after college. I'll still be young when I graduate so that's still an option for me."