By Terence Dooley
Former Commonwealth middleweight champion Michael Watson has revealed the anguish he went through when he was dragged from his car during a carjacking last year.
Watson retired from boxing after suffering a brain injury in his rematch with Chris Eubank for the WBO Super middleweight title in 1991; he was stopped in the final round yet his partial recovery, and refusal to drop his positive mental outlook, has inspired fighters and fans ever since.
The former three-time world title challenger has been giving video evidence as the trial into his ordeal began and he talked about the moment that the attackers, Simon Luck, 29, Paul Samuels, 31, and Anselm Legemah, 23 from Newham, London, sprayed ammonia into his face as they tried to steal his VW Golf.
The 53-year-old was dragged for over 500 yards after getting his arm caught in his seat beat and the callous thieves also sprayed his carer, Lennard Ballack, with the corrosive substance.
“He looked at me with his can in his hand and squirted my face,” said Watson when recalling the moment that he was attacked in Chingford. “My skin burned. He looked at me and smiled. An evil smile.”
He added: “I tried to get out and the robber got in and put his foot down. I flew out of the car and the seatbelt caught on my arm. I was being dragged on the floor.”
The accused men have denied conspiracy to rob and using a corrosive substance, which has forced Watson to relive the ordeal again throughout the ongoing trial process.
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