Dale Evans announces retirement, admitting Mike Towell's death turned 'hunger to fight into fear and worry'

Dale Evans, the boxer who was involved in a fatal fight with Scotsman Mike Towell in 2016, has announced his retirement from boxing.

The Welshman has revealed that he has lost his hunger for the sport, but also that he has been affected by the tragic events which befell his fight with Towell on September 29 at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Glasgow.

Towell, then 25, suffered a brain injury in the bout with Evans, after being knocked out in the fifth round. He died in hospital the following day.

Evans, now 26, has boxed twice since, having vowed that he would win the British welterweight crown in memory of Towell.

"After some time out and questioning if I would fight again, a big fight was offered," Evans explained to BBC Radio Wales Sport in the wake of having been offered a tilt at the European crown.

"As always I jumped at it," he explained. But things changed emotionally for him once he got into the gym. "The spark, the hunger and the determination wasn't there. Just worry and fear, I'll openly admit. That's why I have made the decision I have."

Evans, from Carmarthenshire, turned professional in 2011 and was trained by the respected former World Boxing Union middleweight champion Gary Lockett. Evans had a shot at the British welterweight crown last July but was defeated by champion Bradley Skeete by unanimous decision.Evans retires with a record of 13 wins, four defeats and two draws.

"Maybe I set the bar a bit high for myself, or maybe I wasn't as good as I thought I was, I don't know," reflected Evans on Twitter. "Boxing has been a big part of my life - it was my life. I haven't achieved what I'd have like to, but I done alright I guess."