There are more hard luck stories in boxing than in any other sport.

Take the tale of former undisputed world lightweight champion Ken Buchanan, who was a brilliant boxer and one of my heroes when I was growing up. He sparred with me before my British title fight and I learned more from him in a week than I had in the previous two years.
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If you haven't seen Ken fight, go on YouTube and take a look, because he really was something else. He showered punches on you, had fast hands, was difficult to hit and was tough as nails. What a combination.
Ken features in a documentary I have been working on that will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday. He says he is considering a comeback at the age of 63.
Now, I don't think he will be able to go through with that. After all, who would want to watch a 63-year-old in white-collar boxing? It's a ridiculous idea.
But for someone like me who knew Ken in his magnificent pomp, it is sad to hear him even contemplating such a thing.
In "On The Ropes: Life After Boxing" we try and explore why so many boxers face problems with depression, mental illness and poverty once they retire.
I talk to Frank Bruno, who earned a fortune during his illustrious career and did everything right with his money, but ended up having to be sectioned after he retired.
His marriage had gone off the rocks and it flipped him over the edge. Frank had found it difficult when his regimented life as a fighter had been taken away.
As a boxer, you become institutionalised. Your day is mapped out, you are told when to get up, how to train and what to eat.
That had got Frank out of bed in the morning, cleared his mind and helped him to cope, and when it was taken away it was hard.
Nigel Benn is another British boxing legend who had a hugely successful career. But he tells us he was deeply unhappy with his life when he was a fighter.
His so-called friends were hangers-on and spongers, who were there because of his wealth and celebrity rather than because of any genuine feelings for him.
Had he not got married and discovered God, Nigel believes he would have ended up in a mental hospital.
And for every Bruno or Benn, there are a thousand boxers who retire without having made serious money from their careers. Lee Meager was British lightweight champion, yet when he retired in July 2008 he had to get a job tarmacing roads.
I was one of the lucky ones. I still vividly remember the day I retired, 30 May 1989. And I was petrified.
There I was, 29 years old, with four kids and no guaranteed future.
Several factors helped me to pull through though. I had a great family who had always been there for me, and real friends. A lot of kids who go into boxing come from broken homes and don't have any family guidance.
I had also invested my money reasonably wisely and hadn't been taken for a fool by anyone. That's not to say I didn't have dark days, when I was down and doubted myself, but I worked hard and have been able to forge a new life.
My advice to any young boxer would be to surround yourself with good people, plan ahead and take responsibility for your life. It isn't easy, as Ken Buchanan will tell you.

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By Barry McGuigan
Former world featherweight champion