DAN Blackwell, the journeyman younger brother of Trowbridge's former British middleweight champion Nick, has retired from boxing after fearing for his sibling's life.

The 23-year-old, a respected and resilient journeyman who was stopped only once in 61 fights, watched Nick collapse at the end of last month's defeat by Chris Eubank Jnr and followed him to hospital where he worried his brother would die.

Nick, 25, was found to have suffered a bleed on the skull and was placed into an induced coma from which he has since awoken and made encouraging progress.

Before learning he would recover, however, Dan took the decision to stop fighting in the hope of avoiding his family ever experiencing the same fears over him.

"I thought my brother was dead: just that thought," Blackwell, a full-time bricklayer, said.

"It wasn't me worried about myself, it was me thinking 'God, if I was ever in that position to put my own family through this...'.

"I've got a missus and two kids, at the time I was thinking 'I can't believe I've done this'.

"When it all happened, I was outside waiting at the hospital to see what was going on, we had doctors going in and out but not telling us.

"The worry of me thinking 'He could be dead'; it was how my family would be feeling. I wouldn't ever want to put them through that.

"I remember I sent a message to my girlfriend (Chantelle), I was a mess on the night, saying 'I'm sorry for what I put you through if you felt one per cent of what I'm feeling now. I'm never going to box again'.

"What I went through with Nick was horrible."

The injuries Nick suffered means he will never again fight as a professional.

Despite Dan, whose only stoppage defeat came against the promising Liam Williams, having much to offer as an active journeyman, he has also taken the decision to give the sport up in a show of support to his brother and will seek overtime as a bricklayer to cover the loss of income.

"My mum (Cindy) has never liked me and Nick boxing," he said. "(But) I've always done what Nick's done.

"I don't want to be still in boxing, fighting and all the rest of it, knowing he can't fight. With him, I don't think it's sunk in yet that he's not fighting anymore.

"I'm upset I'm not going to be boxing again. It was something I liked doing for the weekend: it was good fun hanging out with the lads who came out on the road with me.

"Not being able to do it again is horrible."