Today it has been over two years since Erik Skoglund was emergency operated for a brain haemorrhage.

He decided early on to accept what had happened and fight to get back to the boxing ring.

- It is a difficult thing to admit because so many around you get angry. People have a hard time understanding. But of course I dream of making a comeback, no matter how stupid people think I am, he says.

- I'm not afraid to box again. When I watch matches on TV I just feel jealous.

Unable to get Swedish license

No boxer affected by a brain haemorrhage has ever been granted a Swedish license again.

But you can apply for a license abroad, such as Maria Lindberg. She suffered from a brain haemorrhage as an amateur in 1999 and has since gone on to play 27 professional matches at galas in the USA, Germany, Denmark and Poland.

- A while ago you didn't get professional boxing in Sweden at all, so rules change after all, but as it looks now I have to seek out. I've still been boxed most of my career abroad so it's not strange in that way, says Skoglund.

Erik Skoglund poses for a portrait during a training session in August 2017. Photo: Bildbyrån

Suggestion: Easier sparring

The new buying zone has devoted many thoughts on how to make boxing safer. Among other things, he wants to introduce a mandatory brain X-ray after matches, not just before.

He also suggests that boxers should focus on easier sparring rather than full contact.

- To a large extent, it was the amount of sparring that led to my injury. I think you should save more controlled and cautious before the match. You can get equivalent training with easy contact where you focus on speed instead of power. Match sparring is roughly the same as a real match, and you can not go more than a couple of pieces a year at the elite level, says Skoglund.

"Exceeding all expectations"

Erik Skoglund has gone a total of 27 professional matches and won all but one. His most recent match was the loss of points against the British Callum Smith, today world champion in the middleweight, in September 2017.

Do you have a timetable for a possible comeback?

- Of course I have sub goals, but I like to keep them to myself. But I am in phase and above all expectations.

How far are you from a comeback today?

- You can't answer.

But does that feel like a realistic goal?

- Yes, nothing is impossible. You have to dream, no matter how bad the odds are.

Erik Skoglund with Callum Smith after their meeting in September 2017. Photo: Bildbyrån