Ingle 'making good progress' after op

SHEFFIELD, England -- Three weeks after he needed brain surgery to remove a blood clot, boxer Paul Ingle has begun walking.

The surgeons who operated on the fighter minutes after he lost his IBF featherweight title to South Africa's Mbulelo Botile said he's making good progress, sitting up, talking and even swearing.

"Three weeks down the line he is making remarkable progress," said consultant neurosurgeon Robert Battersby.

"He's sitting up in bed, looking around, talking -- and is walking with help.

''He knows about the past but has difficulty with the present and future.

''To predict how he's going to be two years from now is very difficult.

"The difficulty with him is going to be gaining new memories.

''He's still confused and will remain confused," Battersby said.

The encouraging news about the fighter came the day before the British Boxing Board was set to bring in new rules to carry out regular weight checks on boxers.

Medical experts are convinced that boxers who try to lose weight rapidly in the final days before the fight suffer considerable dehydration once they are in the ring.

Now the boxing board will consider instructing fighters to have more regular weight checks to prevent crash dieting before a fight.

"We have already instituted random weight checks for championship contests and it has been carried out for a number of years," British Board secretary Simon Block said yesterday.

"I'm certain the Board, regardless of any specific evidence in the Ingle case, will be looking to extend the scope of this." -- Sapa-AP