FORMER boxer Nick Blackwell has showed off his amazing body transformation.
Blackwell, 32, nearly died in the ring after suffering a bleed on the brain following his middleweight title fight with Chris Eubank Jr in March 2016.
And after a huge struggle with his mental health, Blackwell has now revealed a stunning body transformation which has seen him lose three stone.
Taking to his Twitter page, the former British middleweight champion shared two images of himself – one taken four years ago and one now.
Blackwell, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, described himself as “unrecognisable” in the older picture.
He said: “It’s taken 4 years to lose 3 stone because of my disabilities and my brain Injury, but I’ve done it with support of my partner, balanced meals, little exercise.
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“I was unrecognisable as the old nick after my coma and it effect my mental health. FOLLOW ME show support #weightloss #tbi #braininjury.”
The inspirational post left fans praising his journey.
One said: “Bang Bang! Well done fella! Keep up the great work! This is the biggest fight of your life and you are killing it! Super proud of you Nick! Keep inspiring people by being yourself!”
A second commented: “Pleased for you, Nick. That would not have been easy for you either – strength and dedication.”
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A third replied: “Your one hell of a man Nick, truly inspirational mate.
“It must be so hard for you to deal with a brain injury everyday, but you make it look easy mate. I for one appreciate all your tweets, so thank you mate and keep on fighting 👏🏾💪🏾❤.”
Another shared: “Great stuff mate your smashing it. In a world with so many crap role models your one of the top role models not only for kids but for adults. Fair play to you a true champion of life. 💪🏻.”
“Congratulations bro keep it up, namaste,” typed a fifth.
Blackwell’s injury left him in a coma for SEVEN days.
However, just ten months after recovering from surgery for the incident, he tried to make his return to the ring with a sparring session.
This went against doctors advice and came to bite him, with Blackwell being left “unable to walk” after going 12 rounds with a boxer called Hasan Karkardi.
This led to part of his SKULL being removed to relieve pressure on his brain, leaving him in a coma for a month on this occasion.
Following his second near-death experience, Blackwell told The Telegraph: “I died in the ambulance after the Eubank fight. They brought me back to life.
“The second time, they cut a section out of my skull to relieve the swelling on my brain.
“They placed it inside my stomach to keep it alive until it went back. Crazy.
“I was told there was a 75 per cent chance of dying. If I survived, there was an 85 per cent chance of being paralysed down my left side.”
Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, told SunSport: “I understand he was sparring, fell ill, was taken to hospital and then underwent a procedure.
“I don’t know exactly what the procedure was, other than the fact they tried to relieve pressure on the brain and he’s now in a stable condition. That’s all I know.
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“I’m sickened by it. It’s a very tough sport and the doctors here did a wonderful job to save his life. The doctors at hospital saved his life and kept him going.
“He made remarkable recovery and for somebody to go and do what he’s done, for what I thought was a very sensible young man, is just beyond belief.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
