Nick Blackwell has shared his gratitude to David Haye, claiming the former world heavyweight champion has given him “a real start” to life after boxing.
Blackwell was placed in an induced coma after suffering serious head injuries during his final fight against Chris Eubank Jr, opting to retire from the sport upon waking.
Haye pledged to donate 10 per cent of ticket sales from his fight with Arnold Gjergjaj to the former British middleweight champ,
And now Blackwell has revealed Haye has done a whole lot more than that.
Feeling positive about everything after sitting down with @mrdavidhaye today! A massive thank you pal👊 pic.twitter.com/JuixxJ3CRN
— NICK BLACKWELL (@nickblackwell02) May 31, 2016
“He’s…spoken to me about commentary, and me working as a commentator on his next fight,” Blackwell told Sky Sports.
“He’s offered to help me find investments, looked into help-to-buy schemes and that, and recommended mortgage advisers.”
Not bad for someone who the 25-year-old “didn’t know” before his title bout with Eubank Jr in March.
Blackwell was just 24 fights into his professional career when forced to retire, and it can be tough for boxers to start afresh, especially after committing to the sport so young (he was in his teens when he made his professional bow).
The initial contribution from Haye is bound to help – it amounts to more than ‘Bang Bang’ brought in from all but one of his pro bouts – but the help provided by the veteran in setting his peer up for the future could prove much more important.
