'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Earlier in the day, the entire world of combat sports was shocked to find that Errol Spence Jr. had been diagnosed with a retinal tear that forced him out of his upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao. It's time to look at exactly what Errol Spence Jr.'s injury is and how damaging it could be.
The retina is a thin and very sensitive inner layer of the human eye that generates vision and helps us see things. Tears or breaks on such a sensitive inner layer of the eye could potentially lead to retinal detachment, a serious condition.
Retinal detachment is a situation in which the retina at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position, separating the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment. In some cases, people suffer permanent vision loss in the affected eye owing to retinal detachment.
Errol Spence Jr. needs to undergo surgery for retinal tear in left eye
Boxers sometimes suffer traumatic retinal injuries due to the nature of the sport. The same probably happened with Errol Spence Jr.
In many cases, there are no noticeable symptoms of a retinal tear even though the retina is damaged. In Errol Spence Jr.'s case, he found out about the tear during a usual health check-up.
The news came as a shock to him as well, just a couple of weeks ahead of his 'dream fight' with Pacquiao. Once the retinal tear was detected, Errol Spence Jr. claims that doctors told him there was no way he could fight with the condition. They also informed him that he must undergo immediate surgery to avoid further damage to the retina.
Manny Pacquiao also spoke about Spence's injury and his new opponent on August 21.
Errol Spence took to Instagram to explain why he was forced to pull out of the fight:
“I am very disappointed that I won’t be able to fight Manny Pacquiao on August 21st. Unfortunately , the doctors found a small tear in my eye and said I need to get surgery ASAP. There is no way I can fight with my eye in that condition I would like to apologize to everyone and thank you all for the support, You know I’ll be back soon, I’ve came back from worse,” Spence wrote.
