JOSEPH PARKER’S brother John will fight this weekend as he continues his remarkable comeback from a brain aneurysm.
John’s boxing career looked over after he was pulled from his bro’s undercard to fight Anthony Joshua in March 2018 due to the problem.
John, left, pictured with his brother JosephCredit: Getty – Contributor
He was just 24 then and was told he could die if the aneurysm ruptured.
An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel on the brain that could be life-threatening if left untreated.
Despite being told he wouldn’t be able to fight again, John was cleared to step back inside the ring in October against Ben Williams after previously revealing he would need an operation to box again.
He breezed past his fellow New Zealander before beating Jason Tuala a month later.
Now he is back on the undercard for Joseph’s scrap with Junior Fa this weekend while he takes on Egelani Taito.
Speaking at the time of his diagnosis, John told stuff.nz.: “It’s small enough that I can do everything daily without a problem, but if I want to box again – which I haven’t decided just yet – I will most likely have to have an operation.
“It’s between two operations; one is where they drill a hole through my temple, and they clip it for good.
“The other option is they can thread a wire through my groin, and they clamp it, which they will have to do every so often.
John has fought twice since receiving his diagnosis for a brain aneurysmCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“The neurosurgeon I saw was confident he could do a good job, but there is always that risk [but] the last thing I want is to be paralyzed or something and to be a burden on anyone.
“I want to get back into shape. So when it comes to operating or not, I’ll be healthy and fit and will react well to the procedures.
“When I found out, I was like ‘can I still fight?’ They were like, ‘Nah – this is serious.’
“So I went back in and told Joe. He was like ‘are you all right?’ Yeah, man, stuff this – I’m not going to let this aneurysm get me.”
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
