By Elliot Foster

The British Boxing Board of Control hopes Nick Blackwell will contribute to a hearing in the new year.

The Board, which is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Blackwell's ill-fated sparring session with a licensed boxer on October 22 which resulted in him once again being rushed to hospital after he fell ill, wants the former British middleweight champion to explain at its January hearing why he was in the ring.

Blackwell, 26, is no longer sedated and remains in a stable condition. However, the Trowbridge man — who retired from the ring with a record of 19-4-1 (8 KOs) in the wake of his first visit to hospital following a defeat at the hands of Chris Eubank Jr. in March — is yet to regain consciousness after surgery to remove part of his skull to ease swelling on his brain.

The aforementioned surgery followed the medically-induced coma Blackwell was placed in in March following a first brain bleed.

General secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, Robert Smith, has confirmed that the investigation into the matter is still ongoing but that a date for the January hearing has yet to be officially nailed down.

"We're still talking to people," Smith told Press Association Sport, "but a number of people have been called before the Board in January.

"We're not rushing the hearing because obviously Blackwell is still in hospital, [but] it'd be quite handy if he was available to answer any questions.

"If he's not and he's unable to do that we will deal with him later on. He's still got a trainer-second's licence, so we can still consider what he says."

Blackwell was awarded his trainer's licence in October after his boxing licence was revoked following the incident in the fight with Chris Eubank Jr. earlier this year.

Further details will be revealed in due course.