A Belfast boxer has expressed his gratitude six years on from a vicious stabbing incident which almost cost him his life.
Caoimhin Agyarko had his throat slashed on a Belfast city centre street back in 2017.
The then 20-year-old's injuries were so severe that he required emergency surgery to have multiple stitches inserted into a horrific wound down the side of his face.
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To date nobody has been brought to justice for the attack.
There were fears the stabbing could have ended his burgeoning boxing career, but Agyarko turned professional just one year later and has eased to a perfect record of 12-0.
He has also won titles at both middleweight and light-middleweight, with a World title high on the Belfast man's hit-list in the months ahead.
The 26-year-old is set to feature on the undercard of Katie Taylor's huge homecoming fight with Chantelle Cameron at Dublin's 3Arena on May 20. He is scheduled to fight Grant Dennis.
Agyarko required surgery to have multiple stitches inserted into his wound.
Reflecting to the stabbing horror of 2017, Agyarko said on Twitter: "6 years today an unprovoked attack left me an inch from death, blessed and thankful to still be here a real blessing in disguise as getting stabbed made me a better person and a better fighter."
Agyarko's resilience has been remarkable, with the Belfast boxer having defied the doubters by claiming a gold medal at a multi-nations tournament in Spain just five months after being stabbed.
Speaking to Belfast Live back in 2020, Agyarko said: "The attack still haunts me to this day, and probably will do for the rest of my life.
"I try and take positives out of it and move forward.
"Everything happens for a reason, and maybe that was just meant to happen.
"It has built a lot of character in me. I won that gold medal in Spain five months after the attack which showed me that no matter what happens in life, I can still go on and achieve what I want to achieve.
"I can still do great things in boxing and push on no matter what. No matter how tough it gets mentally, or what life throws at me, I can still achieve great things.
"The attack affected me dramatically, mentally, and I have had to change certain things within myself.
"But I have tried to take the positives out of it and I didn't want that to let that affect my boxing career.
"I always said I don't want that incident to define my boxing career. I don't want to be known as the boxer who got stabbed.
"I want to be known as a great champion and that's what drives me on. To be a great champion, and not just a boxer who was stabbed."
