Away from the glamour and bright lights of the ring action, the boxers themselves can find themselves in a dark, lonely place
It's fair to say that no British boxer was more adored than Manchester's Ricky Hatton. Coachloads of fans would spend considerable sums of money following him to wherever he boxed. Such was their devotion, that their sizeable presence would light up his opponent's back yard.
When Ricky fought Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacqiaou in Las Vegas, the desert resort city became, for one night only, a mini Manchester. The beer would literally run dry when Hatton's fans turned up.
Hatton had what many men dream of. He earned a fortune by reaching the pinnacle of his chosen field, had a loving, down-to-earth family, and was adored by tens of thousands of people.
And yet he felt alone and was severely depressed. It's not uncommon for boxers to come off the rails when they hang up their gloves. They discover that the intensity and structure of a life in boxing is what sustained them.
But there were signs that Ricky was visited by demons even at the height of his fame. He would blow up massively in weight between fights - a tendency that hinted at the self-destructive behaviour that was to come.
Some boxers cope with the end of their career by continuing their old rituals, as if they were preparing for a fight. They drift back to the gym to repeat their old moves, surrounded by familiar sounds, smells and faces. Ricky did all that, but it didn't save him.
We can't escape from the fact that boxing is inherently dangerous. Being punched in the head can cause obvious impairments, such as memory lapses and slurred speech. But it can also have an insidious effect on mental well-being.
Ricky Hatton's case is the tip of the iceberg. We don't hear about the hundreds of lesser-known boxers who face similar struggles.
There are admirable efforts underway to provide more support to boxers who are dealing with the damaging effects of a boxing career. In Britain, the BBB of C has joined up with Sporting Chance to offer British boxing licence holders access to helplines. Former Cruiserweight Champion, Johnny Nelson is developing a fund to help boxers who are struggling financially.
While measures like these can help, they can't fix the physical damage often caused by boxing.
But as harmful as boxing can be, I would argue that it has saved far more lives than it has blighted. Boxing has come to the rescue of many young people who were headed for prison or a violent death in the streets. Boxing provides them with a socially acceptable and relatively safe way of expressing the violence they carry within them.
Many young people need to fight, and this is the most positive way they can do it.
Boxing gives them purpose, discipline and the powerful bonds of fellowship. Boxing is their salvation.
