Boxing

Former world featherweight champion Johnny Famechon regained consciousness in a Sydney, Australia, hospital, two weeks after being struck by a car.

Famechon, 46, of Melbourne, had been in a coma since Aug. 24 when he was hit by a car as he was leaving a Sydney racetrack.

Dr. Colin MacArthur of Liverpool Hospital said Famechon’s condition had improved significantly.

Famechon won the world featherweight title in May of 1969 and defended it twice before losing the title to Argentina’s Vincente Saldivar in May of 1970.

After the loss, Famechon retired with a record of 56-5-6, with 20 knockouts. He was the first featherweight world champion to go through his career without being knocked out.