Kickboxer opens up on losing his leg and 'dying six times' in horror shark attack - as he prepares to make history in stunning cage fight

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Far north Queensland kickboxer Glenn Dickson died six times and was left an amputee after a savage shark attack - but even that can't stop him making Aussie sporting history in a cage fight next month.

Dickson will take on fellow amputee Buck Cooper on June 1 in Cairns - the first time in Australian history two amputee fighters will step into the cage together - after fighting for survival just a few years ago.

In February 2017, Dickson and three mates went spearfishing off Hinchinbrook Island, east of Cardwell and north of Townsville in Queensland's far north.

It was uncharted territory for the fishermen and the water was muddy and murky that day. What happened next changed Dickson's life forever.

It has been a long road back for Cairns fighter Glenn Dickson (picgtured) who had a leg amputated after an horrific shark attack

'I jumped in the water, saw this fish and hit it with the spear but it wasn't what is known as a 'kill shot' instead it was just a bit further back from that,' Dickson told News Corp.

'So the fish was still flapping around and I was thinking I have to get to the surface quickly.

'So I started swimming up and pulling the fish towards me with the rope attached to the spear.

'I got the fish and grabbed my knife out of my anklet and just as I hit the fish with the knife, that was when I felt like I just got hit by a bus.'

Glenn Dickson and his wife Jessie-lee are pictured as he recovered in hospital

Glenn and Jessie-lee have adapted to their new life after he became an amputee

Dickson's struggle with the fish had attracted a 3.5m bull shark, an ill-tempered breed regarded as more dangerous and aggressive than a great white shark.

With limited visibility and blood in the water, the predator simply attacked without prejudice, latching onto Dickson's exposed leg. 

'It felt like I had been chucked into a washing machine and everything was going so slow at the same time,' Dickson said.

'I realised I was getting attacked by a shark and getting thrown around like a rag doll.

'The shark let go because it had to regurgitate my leg because it couldn't get through my bone.

'I went into survival mode and started swimming again and started going to the rocks.

'Subconsciously my body knew a lot more than I thought about with all the surroundings.

'My body immediately started swimming towards the rock and in that moment I was like 'I have been hit really bad here'.

Dickson is not letting his amputation prevent him from having a cage fight that will create a slice of Australian sporting history

Dickson went into cardiac arrest and his heart failed six times before medics were able to stabilise him 

Dickson is fighting fit and ready for Australia's first all-amputee kicking boxing bout in June

Dickson had no idea just how badly he was injured with the water now filled with his own blood as well as mud.

Then the shark returned for another attack.

'Just as I was checking it out, the shark came in and was right up next to me, within about an arm's distance away,' Dickson said.

'We caught eyes with each other, it was looking at me trying to suss out what it had just attacked and I was looking at it thinking 'I know what the f**k you are' and screamed.

'As I screamed, he spun around and whacked me with his tail, which I was thankful for because I thought he was just going to take my head off.

'I just started swimming again and headed for the rock, I actually got a hold of the rock and I got pulled back under again off the same leg.

'It took my calf completely off from the same leg but I managed to pull myself onto the rock and started climbing up these rocks to get out of the water.'

Dickson was attacked several times by an aggressive bull shark that ripped his calf muscle clean off the bone

Bleeding out, Dickson tried to call for help but could only muster a meek whisper. His friends said it sounded like a seagull, not a man screaming for lifesaving assistance. 

They dragged him back onto the boat, but the worst was yet to come - Dickson went into cardiac arrest.  

'That was when I died for the first time, they told me I died a total of six times, four in the boat and twice in the helicopter,' he said.

'But that was the only one I have a real recollection of, I was slowly getting really cold.'

The coldness rose up his body starting from where the shark bites were and eventually made it to his chest where Dickson struggled to breathe.

'I remember my body just sort of fitted out and I just straightened out flat, eyes rolled to the back of my head,' Dickson said.

'The white light was so comforting and made me want to have this deep sleep.

'But that was when my daughter came over and said to me 'come home dad'.

'That was when my brain kicked back in and we fought to get home and I knew I had to get home for my little girl.'

The road to recovery has been long, but Dickson is now ready and raring to return to his love of kickboxing. And his opponent will be no walkover.

Dickson's opponent, Buck 'Buck Wild The Terminator' Cooper (pictured), had a brutal dirt bike accident that left him begging for police to shoot him to put him out of his pain 

Cooper's recovery has been equally inspiring and the two history-making fighters share a mutual respect for each other

New South Wales fighter Buck 'Buck Wild The Terminator' Cooper has an equally inspiring story of survival after a dirt bike accident that had him begging to be put out of his misery. 

'I remember I froze for a bit then looked down and my leg was completely torn off,' Cooper said.

'I started screaming. I had my guts hanging out, pelvis was shattered, parts of me that were meant to be inside of me weren't.

'My testicles were hanging out, luckily I still have them though.'

It will be a bittersweet occasion for both fighters, who share an enormous amount of respect for each other. 

'It has been tough because we [Buck and I] are in a lose, lose situation,' Dickson said.

'No one wants to fight us because no one wants to beat up the handicapped guy or get beat up by them.

'And I really wanted to get back into it so I reached out to Buck and asked him and he was keen to.

'I have a lot of respect for him and what he went through.

'The man is a warrior, so it will make for a very interesting fight.'