MITCH Buckland returns to the ring next month for his first fight since the accident which left wife Rachael fighting for her life.

A champion amateur boxer herself, Rachael fractured her skull and suffered a bleed on the brain after falling down the stairs at the couple’s St Mellons home last October.

She was placed in an induced coma following an operation to remove a piece of bone and a damaged part of her brain.

Thankfully, Rachael subsequently came out of the coma and returned home to Mitch and their children, Ella-Rose and Lorenzo.

At the time of her fall, St Joseph’s ace Mitch had been preparing to make the first defence of his Celtic super-lightweight title against Jason Easton in Edinburgh.

That bout was supposed to take place on October 21, 2016 – Mitch makes his comeback in Swansea on October 21, 2017.

By the time he enters the ring at the LC2 – an opponent has yet to be named – the Welshman will have been inactive since last May.

He had little trouble seeing off Mohamed Larabi on that occasion, comfortably outpointing the Frenchman in Cardiff to maintain his unblemished pro record.

“It’s been a long time since my last fight – too long,” said the 24-year-old, who is also a former Celtic lightweight king. “I’m itching to get back.

“I’ve been looking after the kids and helping Rachael get back on her feet.

“She’s doing well, a few minor problems, but that’s to be expected after what she has been through.

“I’ve also been trying to work but now I can go back to training full-time with three sessions a day.

“I’ve still got a bit of conditioning work to do but I’ll be ready for six rounds in Swansea, though it’s going to take me a good two fights to get to where I want to be.

“I want to get two fights in before the end of the year and eventually go all the way to the top.

“I’ve been boxing since I was eight and that has always been my aim.”

Mitch’s St Joes stablemate Lance Cooksey Jnr is also set to appear on the Welsh Fight Academy show, as is Pontypool’s Kieran Gething.

Zack Davies, Chris Jenkins, Mano Lee, Geraint Goodridge, Ricky Owen, Jamie Lee and Maredudd Thomas are also on the bill.