I think about the boxer I killed every day & wonder how his wife and child are

– Former world champion on the memory that haunts him

rediscover their best form, their careers petering out.

Barry, now 56, is one of the few to recover and hit new heights.But he still struggled when he first stepped back in the ring, four months on from the tragedy.

His comeback opponent was “Jumping” Jimmy Duncan, a novice from Liverpool who was out on his feet by the third round, ready for the knock-out punch.

A capacity crowd at the Ulster Hall urged Barry to finish him off. To their dismay, he hesitated, reluctant to risk a repeat of his previous fight – and he was caught by a left hook that made his head spin.

Spurred into action, Barry finished it in the next round. A month later, he won the British title. But there was no time to enjoy his achievement. Soon after, Barry received news from Nigeria that Ali had died following six months in a coma.

He says: “It was horrible. How could I not feel guilty? Here I was, a popular young boxer, someone who people admired, and I’d killed someone. I took Young Ali out, without hesitation, and finished him when I sensed he was hurt. That’s what distressed me.

“It’s something I’ll struggle with for the rest of my life.”

Barry is, by his own admission, one of the lucky ones. After retiring without serious injury at 28, he became a successful pundit.

He then met Carl Frampton, who he described as “the most exciting talent I’d seen in 30 years”, and he and Sandra started Cyclone Promotions.

After they signed Frampton, he became a featherweight and superbantamweight world champ. Barry also avoided being remembered for that fatal fight against Young Ali.

Instead, he will be remembered for the night in June 1985 when he beat Eusebio Pedroza in front of 26,000 fans at Loftus Road in London to become WBA Featherweight Champion.

But even in his finest hour, Barry didn’t forget Ali. In the post-match interview he said: “I said if I won this title I would dedicate it to a young lad that died when he fought me in 1982.

“I said at the start that I’d like it to be not just an ordinary fighter that beat him but a world champion...” It was all he could manage before the tears began to roll.

Thirty-five years later Barry – who, as well as Blain has sons Shane and Jake, and daughter Danika – says what he couldn’t then.

“I still think of Young Ali every day, wondering about his wife and child.

“I think about how things could have been different. And I still pray for him as often as I can.” ●Dog Rounds: Death and Life in the Boxing Ring, by Elliot Worsell, is published by Blink and out now.