Boxing legend Michael Watson has been speaking about his journey of recovery after spending six weeks in a coma and a year in intensive care.

He gave a talk to staff at Barking and Dagenham College as part of their wellbeing programme.

Watson discussed his boxing career, which saw him hold the Commonwealth middleweight title from 1989 to 1991. 

He was seriously injured during a 1991 fight with Chris Eubank for the WBO super-middleweight title, which left him in a coma and 12 months in intensive care before several years in rehabilitation.

He had to relearn how to speak and walk and has since gone on to complete the London Marathon, walking a few hours each day for six days.

Watson was awarded an MBE for services to disability sport in 2004.

“There is no one more motivating than Michael Watson,” college digital learning director Andy Duffy said. “How he has overcome everything is an inspiration.”

The ex-boxer’s visit to the Rush Green campus was the last day of the staff wellbeing programme, one of a series which included yoga and meditation sessions and discussions on dementia and diabetes.

Watson also signed a boxing glove, which was raffled, before touring the college facilities and testing out the studios where he watched some of his fights on the big screen.