By RICHARD TILLEY OXFORDSHIRE boxer Daren Fifield has been forced to abandon his planned comeback after failing a brain scan.

The former Commonwealth flyweight champion was to have stepped into the ring for the first time since 1996 later this month.

But the British Boxing Board of Control have stripped him of his licence because of an MRA test which revealed irregularities.

"There's a bit of damage that wasn't there before," explained the Kennington 29-year-old.

"The doctors say that it shouldn't get any worse if I stop now, but they can't say for sure that I won't have problems in later life."

Fifield, however, says that he is more disappointed with not being able to fight again than concerned about his future health.

"I'm well gutted, but I've sort of come to terms with it - I've had to. At least I've achieved something in the game. It's not as if I had my whole career ahead of me."

Fifield was originally scheduled to meet Southern Area title holder Mark Reynolds in Peterborough on April 24. That fight was postponed when - it was claimed at the time - Fifield went down with a heavy cold.

But the Oxfordshire man has now revealed that he was unable to box because the British Board had suspended his licence.

"I found out that the Board's doctors were unhappy with the scan on the Thursday before the Reynolds fight," he said.

"They took away the licence and told me to come back a week later for a hearing. That was when I was told that the doctors were unhappy and they were taking the licence away for good."

When he first announced his intention to return to the ring, Fifield was lined up to face British and Commonwealth flyweight champion Damaen Kelly in Belfast on May 22.

But the fight was cancelled when the British Board refused to sanction him as a challenger, due to concern over his three-year absence from the sport.

"I've got a few debts at the moment, so from that point of view it has all been a sickener," Fifield added. "I was going to get £1,200 for the Reynolds fight and then £12,000 for the Kelly fight. That would have really helped. After I've settled my debts, I reckon I'm going to go off to London to help train fighters for Frank and Eugene Maloney. But it's a long slog before you make money from that."

Fifield won the vacant Commonwealth title in October 1993, but lost it 14 months later, having made one defence. He was a junior and senior ABA champion while at Abingdon ABC.

Story date: Friday 07 May

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