Walking with Michael Watson – stricken boxer remains an inspiration
Michael Watson remains 'a medical miracle' according to Peter Hamlyn, the consultant neurosurgeon who performed seven life-saving brain operations on the fighter after his collapse in the 12th round of his second fight with Chris Eubank at White Hart Lane in 1991.
Watson was left in a coma for 40 days and could not walk for 14 months, but with Hamlyn's care he staged a remarkable comeback.
Watson, Hamlyn and Eubank were reunited in London on Wednesday as I joined them in walking from Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner to Horse Guards Parade and down The Mall.
The walk – dubbed the 'magical mile' by Watson, who is now 60 – was to celebrate the shift in medical care for neurological patients that is offered by artificial intelligence. They are calling it 'i-Neuro'.
'It can revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of the most under-resourced and complex medical challenge we, and all countries, face,' said Hamlyn. 'And Michael, who is still a medical miracle, can be at the forefront of this with us.
'We now have the science to use mobile phone data to diagnose neurological disorders years before they strike. Walking this mile today in London, with its nostalgia, and love for a special human being with a special spirit, will benefit many, many people around the world. Huge changes are afoot.'
Also taking part in Wednesday's walk were a host of British boxers including Nick Blackwell, Julius Francis and Derek Williams, along with Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu. It was an afternoon of nostalgia, memory and delight at the majesty of Watson, who remains 'the people's champion'.
It evoked powerful echoes of how 22 years ago Watson paced the London Marathon route to highlight his physical fightback and to raise funds for the Brain and Spine Foundation, which was founded in 1990 by Hamlyn.
On that occasion Watson was joined by more than 60 walkers and there were visits from the comedian Ricky Gervais, footballer Ashley Cole, boxers Audley Harrison and David Haye, and the promoter Frank Maloney. The 'longest marathon' captured the hearts and minds of the British public and raised £250,000. We did not realise, at the time, the wider impact it would have for Hamlyn's charity.
In subsequent years the Telegraph team running in the London Marathon, with team captains including the likes of Zara Phillips, James Cracknell, Frank Warren, Gabby Logan, Des Lynam and others, year on year, raised almost £2 million for the foundation that contributed to groundbreaking research into neurological conditions.
I recall Hamlyn once telling me that 'when Michael walks, every light in the house is on in his brain'. Hamlyn's words have stuck with me ever since.
Watson and Hamlyn have changed the course of medical history in boxing, the fighter becoming the barometer for medical care when injuries occur on fight nights. As Hamlyn told me: 'It led to all the governing bodies of all of our sports realising their duty of care, not just in the UK, but across the world. No surprise that the NFL upped its game and settled benefits on its former players for damages they had incurred.'
Watson was ebullient after Wednesday's walk.
'It feels amazing,' he told Telegraph Sport. 'This is a an amazing moment for me, it is bringing back so many memories, and I can't believe it is over 20 years ago that we brought many of the roads in Central London to a standstill. It means so much to me to be loved by the British public.'
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