Warning: This article contains references to alcohol abuse
Former British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Felix Cash says becoming a father helped him tackle long-term struggles with alcohol and substance abuse.
Cash has not fought since a fifth-round stoppage defeat by Tyler Denny in Birmingham in the summer of 2024 – his first professional loss – but is now eyeing a comeback.
The 32-year-old from Berkshire was not sure if he would ever fight again after a turbulent few years outside the ring, but feels he is “refreshed and focused” following six months of sobriety and the arrival of another child.
“I’d been trying to give up drinking and going on mad benders for maybe six or seven years,” he told BBC Sport.
“It was getting worse, but having my new baby boy has changed everything.
“If I’d carried on the way I was, I wasn’t going to last much longer – I’d either have been locked up or dead.”
Cash first made his name in 2021, winning the British middleweight title with a devastating third-round knockout of Denzel Bentley at York Hall.
But long periods of inactivity over the past three years saw his momentum stall.
“Now I’ve had time to reflect. I’m happy to be back doing what I love and I’ve been sober for six months,” he added.