Following on from Anthony Ogogo’s fight on Saturday evening against Craig Cunningham, it has been confirmed that Ogogo was retired by his corner due to suffering from severely blurred double vision as a result of a broken eye socket.
A leading eye specialist has now confirmed he believes that due to the nature of the scan results the injury was caused, yet not known at the time, before the fight and as such resulted in Ogogo having visibility issues severe enough to be retired.
He will now be forced to take time out to seek the best possible medical advice in order to understand the extent of the damage before making any plans for the future.
Following the news, Ogogo has issued a short statement, saying, “Firstly I would like to congratulate Craig Cunningham, his coach John Pegg and all of his team. They showed true class and I take nothing away from them. Despite what is an incredibly difficult time for me it was a pleasure to box in Birmingham.
”After seeing an eye specialist today it turns out that I have fractured my eye socket in two places. Given this my vision and balance were affected to the point that I had to be pulled out.
”As soon as I went back to the corner after the first round I realised something was wrong, although at the time was unaware of the extent of it. Despite being bitterly disappointed I would like to thank my corner for pulling me out. Boxing is a tough sport and despite wanting to try and get through the fight on Saturday I realise my health must come first.
”This is obviously an incredibly tough time for me. I have overcome a lot of adversity previously and now face an uncertain time in terms of my eyesight with now another mountain to climb. However, I am ready for the challenge and will be giving everything I have to get back in the ring and to achieve my full potential.”
Kalle Sauerland, Ogogo’s promoter, added: “It was clear from the first round that Ant had difficulties finding his range and timing and that something was off. This is a very serious injury similar to that which Mikkel Kessler suffered during the Super Six and we will now focus on recovery before launching a comeback in 2017. Perhaps directly with a rematch if that can be made. Hats off to Cunningham and his team for taking full advantage and boxing superbly.”
