Chris Eubank Jr has admitted that it was "tough to hear" that his opponent Nick Blackwell had been placed in an induced coma following their middleweight fight on Saturday.
Blackwell was taken to hospital after he collapsed in the ring at Wembley Arena following a 10th-round stoppage, which handed Eubank Jr the British middleweight title.
During the fight, the 26-year-old's father Chris Eubank instructed his son to aim for Blackwell's body rather than his head as he feared that the opponent would get hurt.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Eubank Jr told reporters: "When I heard the news, it was tough to hear. No fighter goes in there to cause that type of damage to an opponent. There's nothing personal.
"Things may be said in the lead up to the fight, two men going in there, putting their pride on the line. It was upsetting and the first thing I had when I heard was to say on Twitter that he is a true warrior and to wish him a speedy recovery. You play rugby, football and cricket, but you don't play boxing.
"It's two men giving their all in there. We put our lives on the line and we are fighting for our livelihoods. I've tunnel vision when I'm in there and my dad could see he had nothing left and so he said 'body'."
Reports have claimed that Blackwell, who suffered a bleed on the brain, could be brought out of his coma at some point today.
Danielle Joynson
