Boxer and Olympic medallist Anthony Ogogo has revealed he was left 78% visually impaired after suffering a devastating eye injury in a professional fight.
In a revealing video posted on his Twitter page, the London 2012 bronze medal winner, from Lowestoft, said he was told by 10 different world experts that he would never fight again.
Yet the 29-year-old said he is determined to prove them wrong and not only get back in the ring, but win the world title.
The middleweight has not pulled on his boxing gloves since retiring from the eighth round of his clash against Craig Cunningham in October 2016, when it was clear his vision was seriously impaired.
It turned out he had fractured left eye socket, leaving his sight blurred.
In his Twitter video, he revealed he has undergone five operations on his eyes - the last three of which have been in America.
That has hampered his recovery, as patients have to wait three to six months after an operation to see how the injuries heal, with Mr Ogogo saying: “I can’t speed that process up.”
In that time, many people have wondered whether Mr Ogogo - who is travelling several hours a day to train in London - has been forced to retire from the sport he loves.
But he said: “I keep getting asked whether I’m retiring.
“I hate that question and it breaks my heart.
“I so desperately want to box and I’m doing everything humanly possible to get back in there and fight.
“I’m doing everything in my power to get back in the ring.’
Mr Ogogo also predicts that despite the experts’ diagnoses, he will become world champion.
However he said: “When I get back in the boxing ring, that’s going to be like winning the world title in itself, because I’ve been told by at least 10 leading experts in the world that I’m never going to fight again.
“Yet I’ve persevered and scratched and fought and clawed my way back to this position.
“I’m going to get back in the ring, believe me. As long as I believe in me, that’s all that matters.
“I’m going to get back in the boxing ring and I’m going to become world champion.
“And this is going to sound really arrogant - and I don’t mean it to be - but that will be one of the greatest achievements by a British athlete, because I was told I was 78% visually impaired.
“When I get back in the boxing ring and win the world title, this journey will be well worth it.
“All of this hard work and sacrifice is going to be worth it.
“The second these eyes get fixed, I’m getting back in the ring.”
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