By Terence Dooley

The news that Trowbridge's Nick Blackwell has been roused for his induced coma was met with sighs of relief throughout the boxing community.  Blackwell suffered a bleed on the skull following his 10th-round TKO defeat to Chris Eubank Junior last month and was placed into a coma by doctors.

The former British middleweight Champion regained consciousness on Saturday, and he has been talking to family and friends, but a former fighter believes that it will be hard for the 25-year-old should he be told he will never box again.

Ray Close twice took Chris Eubank Senior the distance (D12 and L SD 12 in 1993 and 1994 respectively for the WBO Super middleweight belt) only to be forced into retirement after a BBBoC check-up in 1995 uncovered lesions on his brain.  It meant that his licence was revoked despite having with a third match with Eubank on the cards.

Arguing that the lesions were a pre-existing and common condition, Close went to the U.S., obtained a licence and fought five times in Illinois, closing out his career with a run of five fights against modest opposition (all wins).  Despite managing to gain closure on his career, Close still misses the sport.

“I truly hope the lad makes a full recovery, but it is not for me to say what he should do then,” said Close when speaking to Jim Gracy of the Belfast Telegraph.  “That's up to the medical people and, if they give the okay, then it's up the lad himself.

“Believe me, it is the worst thing a fighter can be told, that you will never step into the ring again.  When it happened to me, I was plunged into such a deep depression that lasted a long time.  I was at the top of my game.  I had a chance of becoming world champion and I believed I would.  Then to have it taken away from me, it was hard to accept.  In fact I never did.

He added: “I was an Irish and European champion and I dreamed of becoming a world champion.  I had a vision of beating Eubank and then going on to unify all the world titles in my division at the time.  I wanted to fight and beat all the other title holders to become the undisputed champion of the world.  Money was never my motivation.  I just wanted those belts.  So I feel for Nick Blackwell, both in his predicament and for the career hopes he will have had.”

Close works at Belfast airport, often spotting his old foe Eubank Senior while going about his business.  He told the Telegraph that he bears no ill will towards the man who twice scraped by him, arguing that he believes Eubank knows deep down that he lost the fights.  He added: “Why would I have hard feelings?  Sure he knows I beat him.”

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