CWMBRAN trainer Gary Lockett has admitted that seeing boxer Nick Blackwell on a life-support machine will haunt him forever.

Blackwell was put into an induced coma for nine days after losing a British title fight to Chris Eubank Jnr at Wembley Arena in late March.

Speaking for the first time since those horrifying events – Blackwell recovered from a bleed on the skull but has had to retire from boxing – Lockett, 39, also said he considered walking away from the sport after what happened.

The former WBO Inter-Continental light-middleweight champion, who trained Blackwell in Cardiff, told the Guardian: “It’s still very raw, it’s still very painful. I’ve never seen the fight back and I’ll never watch it as long as I live.

“Luckily it turned out okay in the end but, obviously, it will never leave me.

“Fighters always say: ‘Oh, I know the risks’, but you don’t expect the risks to be bestowed on you. To see Nick on a life-support machine will haunt me the rest of my life.

"To see a happy-go-lucky, lovely, lovely boy, who I have a special relationship with, on a life-support machine …”

A huge swelling above Blackwell’s left eye prompted referee Victor Loughlin to stop the contest in the 10th round.

Lockett and Loughlin came in for criticism after the fight for not stepping in sooner.

Responding to that, Lockett added: “You can’t stop a fight at the first sign of trouble. I know Nick better than most people. He’s as hard as nails and always comes back.

“I know he was losing by a long way but I’m trying to think of ways to help him change the flow.

“I spoke to Victor Loughlin the following Wednesday. Vic is possibly the best ref in the country. If there was a time to stop it earlier Vic would have seen that.”

He continued: “If there was any sign of anything in the corner I would have stopped it straight away. Remember how I got criticised for pulling Ricky Owen out of Prizefighter?

“He’d won two fights and was in the final against Willie Casey, a strong man. Rick was cut over his eye, and knackered, so I pulled him out.

“It cost him £8,000 but when it comes to protecting someone, money is irrelevant. If it had cost him £150,000 I would have still pulled him out.”

Reflecting on the moment he realised something was really wrong with Blackwell, he said:

“I’d said: ‘Don’t worry about it. You weren’t yourself tonight. Just have a good rest.’ He said his head was starting to hurt. Then he started to slip. I got my right hand under his left armpit and called for the stool.

“I thought it was exhaustion but he slumped to the ground and they put the oxygen mask on his face. They did a wonderful job of getting him anaesthetised within 13 minutes of the fight ending.

“I knew then. It’s horrific. I would have felt it if it had been any boxer. But with it being someone I’m particularly close to it’s horrendous.”

Lockett was an almost constant presence at Blackwell’s hospital bedside as the 25-year-old set about recovering from his injuries.

No operation was needed but “it was still the worst time of my life by some distance” according to Lockett. “But imagine how much worse it was for Nick’s family. They’re very close,” he said.

As for his own future in boxing, Lockett added: “You know, after a period of doubting myself, there were just too many positive messages for me to turn away.

“I decided to stop thinking about the negatives and start focusing on the positives. We’ve got so much good work to do. We’ve all got so much hope again.”