Nick Blackwell says boxing is a safe sport despite fact he ‘died for a little while’ when left in coma after Chris Eubank Jr fight
Brit brawler has made near-full recovery and insists sweet science is less dangerous than rugby and Formula One
NICK BLACKWELL says he is living proof that boxing is a safe sport — despite the fact he “died for a little while”.
Blackwell, 25, has made a near-full recovery since waking from a week-long coma following his British middleweight title defeat to Chris Eubank Jr on March 26.
Both he and younger brother Dan — a journeyman who won seven of 61 pro fights — hung up their gloves in the wake of the savage contest at Wembley Arena.
But Blackwell insists the sweet science is less dangerous than rugby and Formula One.
The former English and British champ said: "Boxing is a safe sport. If you look at what happened to me, it shows how much boxing's come on.
"I'm back to 100 per cent now, I'm back to myself. There are a lot more dangerous sports out there — rugby, F1.”
Blackwell required an adrenaline shot to save his life while being rushed to hospital by ambulance.
He added: “When I woke up it put everything in perspective of how lucky I was and the recovery has been quick.
“I want to say thank you to the doctor because he saved my life. He got me into the ambulance, induced me into a coma within 13 and a half minutes of being in the ring.
“I flat-lined, so I died for a little while and he injected adrenaline into my heart and I started breathing again. From then, I was in a coma.”
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Blackwell expressed his disgust at Team Eubank for holding a press conference while he was battling for life.
But Chris Eubank Sr, 49, insists they acted professionally in the face of a difficult situation.
He said: "Public and media pressure was so huge we felt we had to hold the press conference.
“It was done with the full knowledge of the British Boxing Board of Control.
“Nick is a wonderful man, gentleman and warrior."
Eubank, a former world middleweight and super-middleweight champion, wanted his son's brutal fight with Blackwell to be stopped before it was finally halted in the tenth round.
He claimed he instructed his son to switch to the body in order to save Blackwell, who had a grossly swollen left eye, from taking more punishment to the head.
But Blackwell insists that message was only given in the hope of forcing a stoppage.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he said: “Anyone in boxing knows it was more of a tactical thing. He couldn’t stop me with head shots, so he went for the body to try and get rid of me.
“My family begged them not to do the press conference. They went ahead and did it. They said they wouldn’t speak about me, just Chris Jr’s future.”
