JAMES DeGale has revealed his admiration for the "stupidly tough" Nick Blackwell and has called on the British Boxing Board of Control to permanently award him the British middleweight title.

Trowbridge's Blackwell, 25, has been in an induced coma and was found to have suffered a small bleed on the brain since collapsing at the end of Saturday's unsuccessful title defence against Chris Eubank Jnr.

IBF super-middleweight champion DeGale considers the middleweight one of his closest friends in the sport, having repeatedly sparred with him, and is more than familiar with the intensity with which he fights.

Blackwell impressed many with his ability to remain on his feet during the fight which was only stopped in the 10th round because of horrific swelling over his left eye, but DeGale believes the swelling to be "a blessing" and has spoken of the punishment his own body has taken, even in fights that were far less punishing than Saturday's.

"I've done over 200 rounds of sparring with him over the past couple of years so I class him as my mate," said DeGale, who next defends his title against Rogelio Medina on April 30 at Washington D.C's DC Armoury, ahead of an expected unification fight against the WBC champion Badou Jack.

"He's just so tough, sometimes he's too tough for his own good.

"That's the kind of fighter he is, you're never going to take the way he fights away from him. He's not a boxer, he likes coming forward, taking shots and ducking.

"He's one of the toughest sparring partners I've had, he's tough. Stupidly tough. He's in your face and he loves it, sometimes that's the worst way.

"It shows you how brutal and dangerous our sport can be when you're in there, with no protection round your head and with those small 10-ounce gloves.

"In my last couple of fights, I haven't really been hit too bad but even then I'm p***ing blood for a couple of days. When you're getting hit in the head, taking those uppercuts, it's lethal stuff, it's dangerous."

For all of that, DeGale watched the fight live and until the swelling appeared was not convinced it needed to be stopped.

"The eye is the blessing," he said. "He was still in the fight. He wasn't going to win, just get through it. He was taking punishment but he was still in the fight. When I was watching it I was still saying 'go on Nick!' right until the end.

"All the help was on hand on Saturday and it has probably saved his life. Twenty, twenty-five years ago it was different, look at Michael Watson. But we've learned from that and we've come on a heap.

"(Blackwell's) a very respectful guy. He dedicates his life to boxing. To come all the way here (to London from Trowbridge) to spar me and do me a favour, it's unbelievable.

"He loved it and he wanted to make himself better. He loved the British title and it's just so sad what has happened.

"The Board should give him the British title to keep outright (which is only usually done when a fighter makes three successful defences; Blackwell completed two).

"He's come from the unlicensed circuit to win the British title, and did it by beating a good fighter in John Ryder."

Meanwhile, a Crowdfunding appeal set up by Sheffield bozer Adam Etches for Blackwell had reached nearly £6,000 on its way to a target of £10,000 this morning.