WARNING: Contains material some may find distressing.
Boxer Jordan Gill has said he was “saved” as he attempted to take his own life earlier this year after he felt his circumstances had “hit rock bottom”.
Gill, 29, was speaking after beating home favourite Michael Conlan by seventh-round stoppage at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday.
After the victory, Gill opened up about his downward spiral following a defeat by Kiko Martinez last year.
“I wasn’t contemplating [suicide] – I was doing it,” Gill told BBC Sport NI. “Someone saved me.”
The Englishman, a former Commonwealth and European featherweight champion, thanked everyone who had helped him turn his life around in the aftermath of the Martinez bout.
In October 2022, Gill was dropped four times as the Spaniard sealed victory in the fourth round to become European champion for the fifth time at Wembley Arena.
“After the Martinez loss, I lost touch with myself. I broke up with my wife. On 30 June I was in a field… and I was going to kill myself,” Gill told DAZN.
“Somebody came and saved me that day.”
On Saturday, Gill was the underdog against Conlan but floored the 32-year-old in the second round and controlled the bout before his strong finish in the seventh round.
Despite Olympic bronze medallist Conlan being the favourite, Gill insisted he “expected” to win and added: “I had to keep my composure, keep calm and stay to the game plan.”
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