From Daniel Dubois to Josh Taylor: Famous Boxers and Eye Injuries (Update)
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Heavyweight Daniel Dubois sustained a left medial orbital fracture in his tenth round loss to Joe Joyce recently. If Dubois eventually recovers by some miracle of medical treatment and superior eye care, he will be one of the lucky professional boxers to survive the risky business of pugilism. The following is an update of a Real Combat Media 2014 story.
Unified World Light Welterweight champion Josh Taylor sustained a horrific right eye injury in his bout against Regis Prograis in October 2019 to retain his title. Nearly a year later in September 2020, Taylor had recovered well enough to knock out his Thai challenger in the first round, avoiding any chance the recovered eye injury could be put in further jeopardy.
In the hallways of boxing history, when a boxer such as the late world champion Harry Greb or the world champion late Joe Frazier incurred a permanent eye injury, there were two choices in the old days. Memorize eye charts and fight with one eye, as Greb, Frazier and 1972 Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Seales did, or retire.
Surgical correction of a detached retina, such as the type underwent by world champions Sugar Ray Leonard and Julian Jackson, and heavyweight contender Earnie Shavers, delayed their career but did allow them to make comebacks, to different degrees of success.
Other well-known fighters, such as Phillip Brown, Michael ‘The Silk’ Olajide, and Calvin ‘The Banker’ Brock, we’re unable to save their injured eye, and their careers ended. Brown, a Larry Holmes sparring partner, sued Holmes after claiming he was thumbed and blinded in the left eye, ending his career. George Kandelaki, Leotis Martin, Sandy Saddler, Jeff Chandler, Sam Langford, Corey Sanders, Horacio (Truck) Robinson, John Henry Lewis, Gypsy Joe Harris, Servilio De Oliveira, Ruben (Hurricane) Carter, Stanley Ketchel, Iran Barkley, Aaron Pryor, Lamon Brewster, and amateur boxer Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt (a future U.S. President) all sustained eye injuries in the ring.
Kell Brook, Antonio Margarito, Sam Hyde, Anthony Yigit, John Murray, Tyson Fury, Denis Lebedev, Chris Algieri, Chris Higgs, Alfredo Angulo, Enzo Maccarinelli and are examples of boxers who have endured eye injuries of different degrees in recent years.
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