Sean Dodd: Ex-Commonwealth champion on Boxxer and fighting mental health problems

Sean Dodd (right) last fought in November 2019 against Tom Farrell and gained a win, although it was stopped after only four rounds following an accidental head clash - Dodd and Farrell are both in the super-lightweight Boxxer event in Liverpool on Saturday

When Sean Dodd returns to the boxing ring on Saturday, he will do so feeling like a new man.

Dodd, 37, is one of eight men competing in Boxxer, a tournament consisting of three-round contests with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all in one evening.

However, the former Commonwealth lightweight champion thought he would never fight again after a desperate time that made him feel like he had "lost everything".

In an interview with BBC Sport, Dodd spoke about his mental health struggles, and how a new-found love of yoga, meditation, cold exposure and self-relaxation helped him overcome them.

"Going into lockdown everything was hunky dory," said Dodd.

"I was with the missus, we had the baby on the way, due in May. We stayed together for the baby but then it just all went pear-shaped.

"Money played a big part. There was no money. You start panicking and arguing. It all spun out from there. It went from bad to worse."

'I was in a dark place and suffering'

Birkenhead-based Dodd has seen the highs and lows of boxing since he first fought professionally in March 2012. He held the Commonwealth lightweight belt in 2017 and defended his title before three successive defeats stifled his progress.

After the third of those losses, a points defeat by Jordan Ellison, Dodd did not fight again for 11 months. But after returning with back-to-back victories, he, like many boxers, saw his career and potential for earning, paused because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, a chance to appear in Saturday's super-lightweight tournament at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool has given Dodd an opportunity to rebuild his career.

"I hadn't been in the gym for two years," said Dodd, who has 17 wins, five losses and one draw from 23 fights.

"If I can come back and win this tournament, it's amazing. I was in a dark place and suffering, but now I'm enlightened, full of good energy.

"When I look back, all I saw was a dark shadow in my mind. Now it's just all bright light. I feel like I've been reincarnated.

"I've been back in training, adapted right back in when I was essentially retired. I was done with it all. It feels 100% I am going to win this.

"It's not so much I can win it - I'm going to win it. I know I can win it. I've just got to keep practising what I'm doing and live this life as I am."

Dodd believes he has learned a lot about himself over the past two years.

He added: "I was not in control of my feelings or emotions - not many people are; we all believe it's automatic. Everybody believes being unhappy is normal.

"My mam was telling me she'd pay for me to go get help. I was down and depressed and her solution was to get a job. That's not the answer - money's not the answer. It's deeper than that.

"I started to go down and became unhappy. I was alone. I'd become disconnected from what I truly was as a human being, but I understand now what life is about.

"It's not about pleasing people and I spent a lot of time trying to do that. I thought I was helping people, but people were using me.

"Going from where I've come from - feeling I had no control and that I needed help from doctors or hospitals or medicine - to becoming someone in full control of my happiness and health. It's an amazing story. I know everybody can achieve the same thing."

Dodd has won 17 of 23 professional contests

'Yoga has made me dead flexible'

The other fighters in the Boxxer competition are Lee Appleyard, Nathan Bennett, Tom Farrell, Ben Fields, Kane Gardner, Cori Gibbs and Levi Kinsiona.

"This tournament will definitely bring out the warriors in us," said Dodd, who puts his "reincarnation" down to an open mind to try new things like yoga, ice baths, controlled breathing exercises and walking around barefooted.

"I was a boxer and never flexible," he admitted. "Yoga has made me dead flexible which has made me feel dead young - I can do the crab, I can stand on my head.

"The cold exposure makes me feel full of energy and life, mental clarity. The breath work puts you in a lovely state of mind. That's the medicine and it's all free and all natural.

"Turn the heart and the mind and the stomach on. Learn how to awaken and trust your feelings so you can make decisions. My mind now is my friend. I'm best mates with myself.

"Each day I become stronger and discover more about myself as a human being.

"Life is a blessing and you can live the life you want to be living. If I can share these resources with people and give them these tools. I feel like that's my purpose now."