A boxer died today nine days after he collapsed ­during his comeback fight.

Michael Norgrove, 31, was ahead on points against Tom Bowen when referee Jeff Hinds noticed he was ­behaving oddly and stopped the fight in the fifth round.

Norgrove, a Zambian, based in Woodford Green, Essex, was rushed to hospital from the Ring venue in London and was found to have a blood clot on the brain.

The British Board of ­Boxing, said it was “a sad day for the world of boxing.” It had been Norgrove’s first bout in two years.