Tony Quigley

Evening all,

Just seen this piece on the BBC Sports website.

Former British super-middleweight champion Tony Quigley is planning to make a boxing comeback after revealing he has suffered from depression.

The 28-year-old from Kirkby has not fought professionally since March 2011.

Quigley admitted he considered taking his own life, but with a young family giving him a fresh perspective, he would now like to return to the ring.

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"It's the fact of just being able to enjoy boxing again. That's my main goal," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"When I was younger, I was fighting for money and I liked the fame. I couldn't care less about that now.

"Now all I want to do is make sure my baby doesn't need anything in life. That's the best type of motivation a man needs."

Quigley became British champion in March 2009 by defeating fellow Liverpudlian Tony Dodson, but lost his title to Paul Smith seven months later.

That loss, along with a persistent back injury, proved to be the start of his problems away from the ring.

Awareness of mental illness in boxing has been raised in recent days following a BBC documentary focusing on Frank Bruno and how his family have coped since he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

And when news broke earlier this week that Wales-based welterweight Billy Smith had taken his own life, it led Quigley to go public about his own mental health issues on Twitter and urge the boxing community to do more to support fighters struggling with the illness.

"The best way to describe it is when a boxer gets knocked down in the ring," he said.

Billy Smith Billy Smith took his own life this week, aged 35

"The referee will ask if you're ok to continue, and even if you're not, you'll always say 'yes'. If someone asks you if you're ok on the street, it's the same thing. You'll always say 'yes' when you're not.

"We need some awareness of some sort, but it needed someone like me to step up and say 'I was depressed'. I can't guarantee I'm 100% over it, but you've got to have someone to step up for other people to have the confidence to come out and say 'I could do with some help'."

He added: "It's not nice to admit it, but when I was at my lowest, I used to sit there in my own little world thinking 'I'm going to kill myself'.

"It was all doom and gloom and the only way for me to deal with it was to think about ending it. It sounds a bit dramatic but it's the truth.

"I want to help people because I literally got to rock bottom where I couldn't get any lower, but I stuck in there. Now I've got a family and I'm happy.

"If anyone needs to talk, come and speak to me because things aren't as bad as they seem."

Source: BBC Sport

Is there still much that Quigley is realistically capable of achieving? He is only 28 but having had out of the ring difficulties I do wonder how he will get on if he gets dragged into the trenches.

Also as a side note I question whether those behind British boxing do enough to support it's sportsmen and women. We hear lots of stories of boxers going of the rails when they retire or after their first defeat. Should more be done to educate boxers and learn from previous mistakes. Sport in general seems to try and get their moneys worth without really looking out for the individuals as highlighted in the recent football documentary 'Footballers Suicide Secret'.

Cheers gents in advance.

Frank and open interview from Quigley there, as has often been the case with boxers. I remember when Hatton came out and admitted he considered taking his life...there were a fair few who believed that he was merely looking for some time in the limelight. I remember thinking when I was reading the lack of support in some quarters that it was a sad reflection on society. Whilst I could understand/do understand that some people feel that these guys have no right to be moaning given the money they earn...I also think it is far to easy to sit there and judge and say 'what reason have they got to be unhappy, they have millions of pounds...cars etc'. The problem is while we sit and say 'try and live a day in our shoes' many (me included) are guilty of assuming it would be easy to spend a day in theirs. The reality is it probably isn't.

I think that on the face of it the BBBoC and international governing bodies etc like to make all the right noises about supporting boxers outside of the ring etc but the facts suggest when the camera's and microphones aren't facing them they care very little. They make money off these guys yet it would seem little is done to aid them in readjusting to 'society' & the 'normal life' when the time comes.

It is quick to forget that many boxers aren't highly educated, lack the knowledge of the business world and without the strict regime which boxing brings are simply lost in life. The hangers on are there for the good times...often gone in the bad. The same can be said for the promoters who make money off them...the governing bodies which take their portion of the pie.

It's not just boxing that does it, the same can be said with other sports such as football, NFL, Wrestling (no arguing as to whether it's a sport). In football people question loyalty towards clubs, Suarez a good case in point,...yes Liverpool have stood by him during the past two years...but will they when he finishes his career!? The clubs are there to make money..be it via commercial means or success on the field...a player will be hung out to dry if the club see fit...sold on if they aren't doing their job or no longer fit into the teams plans...I see no reason why players should look out for the club. I think it is an old and outdated idea in this modern culture of sport where the riches are so vast now...not just for one person but for the people associated with them...clubs, governing bodies, agents...sadly that brings an element of 'look out for number one' and it will continue to do so.

Sadly that often leaves people lost and alone when they are no longer at the top of their sport, topic of conversation, next kid on the block etc. Reality hits them hard and they struggle to adjust...from then the downward spiral begins....and those that should be around them helping them from the sport they once represented simply move onto the next piggy bank in the equation disinterested in the burden both financially & from a time consumption point of view, that looking after players/boxers/wrestlers (keep inserting all sports) of the past brings.

Boxing News have been asking fighters to contact them re: depression. Gather it's an issue they're looking to highlight.

Quigley is a decent fighter. He gave Smith a tough fight a few years back (I attended that one) but will struggle to become a factor at 160. Perhaps a rematch with Smith would sell at 168. Rocky Fielding for the English title would be ideal.