Seymour was forced to retire in his prime

David Seymour…his last fight was a Midlands flyweight title win

DAVID Seymour grinned as the Midlands flyweight title was wrapped around his waist and bathed in the blinding light of his finest hour.

Yet following that 2019 points victory over Matt Windle, the Coventry prospect never boxed again. His greatest night in the ring was his last night in the ring.

That’s something lost on casual followers of the game: every boxers’ next contest could be their final contest.

David Seymour is an example of the perils attached to boxing and the bravery needed to compete in it.

Following his controversial win over Windle, the father-of-two was diagnosed with “cavum septum pellucidum” issues. The fighter pronounces the medical words effortlessly. He has rehearsed and pondered them time and again.

In layman’s terms, the gulley separating the left and right side of the brain widens to a point where there is a risk of early Parkinson’s diseases or old fashioned punch drunkenness.

CSP is one of the many hazards faced by professional boxers.

Concerns had been raised following earlier medical tests, but David was given the all-clear. Test following the Windle 10 rounder showed further deteriorating and the Boxing Board of Control took action.

At the peak of his powers and with only one loss in nine, Seymour was forced to retire. David has no doubt the condition was a direct result of his 69 amateur and nine pro contests.

“I could’ve contested it,” he told me, “but, with my eldest son on the way, it wasn’t worth it.”

It was the right decision. The man is fit, speaks well and enjoys an active life. That probably would not have been the case if he continued swapping punches.

It was the right decision, but that doesn’t dim the hurt. The winner of Seymour-Windle, could never box again. The loser went on to claim a Commonwealth title and fight for British and European honours.

“It’s a shame,” David shrugged. “I watch the fights today and think, ‘I’d beat them’. I was over the moon at being champion, I was just getting the headlines.

“Those around me could see it. I was slurring words, I wasn’t the same. But once I stopped putting my body through hell, it cleared quickly.

“Do I think about boxing? All the time. I even looked, not so long ago, at doing an exhibition fight. The Board said no chance.”

The Board’s vigilance is to be applauded. David is enjoying a full life, although there will always be an empty space for “what might have been” thoughts.

He has his own amateur gym, Team Seymour Boxing Club, in Bedworth, he is a personal trainer, he gets married next year. “It’s doing really well, the gym’s rammed,” said David. “We’ve got 20 registered boxers.”

And he looks fighting fit.

“I do a lot of running,” he added. “Because I’m a personal trainer, I do a lot of running with clients.”

The future holds a lot of promise for David.

He may not have achieved the fighting heights he felt destined for, but Seymour’s found other ways of being a winner.