Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech has been taken to hospital for an emergency heart test, amid fears he may need surgery to fight a “mystery infection” he has been battling for a week. There is.
Fenech was due to be in Wollongong tonight to commentate on the No Limit pay-per-view headliner, Australia's undefeated rising star Sam Goodman and brash Melbourne native Mark Shrives.
Instead, the 59-year-old was admitted to Strathfield Private Hospital, where he underwent various tests and is battling a high fever.
There are concerns that the problems that initially landed him in hospital on Tuesday may be related to the emergency heart surgery the four-time world champion underwent in Bangkok in 2019.
Fenech was also scheduled to undergo surgery on both hernias on Monday, but doctors decided to postpone the surgery after her condition worsened over the weekend.
The champion is also suffering from severe swelling in his wrist, the cause of which is unknown.
Boxing: Goodman vs. Schrives, Hardman vs. Saavedra, Scott vs. Leilua | Tonight – Wednesday, March 13th – 7pm AEDT | Order now on Main Event on Kayo Sports
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“I feel like I'm at home,” Fenesh said in the Daily Telegraph.
“I’m sick like a dog with a mysterious infection… They think it’s related to my heart and valves.
“They’ve done a ton of tests, but we don’t yet know what the results will be.
“I came to the hospital on Tuesday.
“I have had a high fever for over 12 days. It was 39.8.
“I also have a bad infection in my wrist and they think it may be heart related.
“If you saw my wrist, you would die.
“It's huge. It's red and inflamed and swollen and painful.
“The infection from the valve could be spreading throughout the body. They don't know yet.”
Five years ago, Fenech underwent lifesaving heart surgery in Bangkok to replace an infected valve.
He was taken to the hospital by combatants after he coughed up blood during a training session.
In a five-hour operation, Thai surgeons replaced his heart valve and drained fluid from his lungs.
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Main Event commentator Ben Damon also had several conversations with Fenech in recent days and just before he underwent further testing on Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously, Jeff is in very bad shape,” he said.
“But he seems to be quite comfortable now at least and they are carrying out intensive tests to try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
“If someone was going to fight a battle like this, there wouldn't be anyone stronger than anyone who has ever fought on this side of the world.”
Wednesday night's card will be the culmination of several weeks of rocky relations between the undefeated Goodman and Shrives.
The event will also see Queensland's Isaac Hardman take on Venezuelan fighter Endry Saavedra as he looks to continue his rise into the top 10 middleweight division, while exiled NRL star Curtis Scott He made his professional debut against Joey Leilua.
Australia's Sam Goodman has officially vowed to quit drinking until he wins a world title. However, his mother Roxanne personally handed out more than 600 tickets to headline her son's enthusiastic Wollongong show, so you might be forgiven for needing a drink or three. .
While he may already be a must-have for Japanese megastar Naoya Inoue, Goodman has decided to adopt Tim Tzu's strategy by staying busy and fighting regularly until the championship showdown arrives.
As a result, the undefeated 25-year-old from Albion Park will take on cocky Melbournian Mark Shrives, world number one ranked super bantamweight, tonight at the Wollongong Entertainment Center.
Goodman said in an interview with Fox Sports Australia on the eve of the game that while he was excited about his first headlining appearance at home, his mother personally sorted out more than 600 tickets and handed them out to family and close friends. He said, “I'm feeling a little stressed out'' by this.
Thousands more are expected to arrive at the venue as part of his support crew, the Mud Bunch, and the loquacious Shripes is expected to receive a hostile reception.
And as part of his bid for a world title, Goodman also revealed that he has vowed to give up all alcohol until he achieves his dream of winning gold.
That's no small promise considering he's starting his first Wollongong headliner.
“So, no, it's not easy,” he laughed.
“And obviously if we win at home in Wollongong, there will be a lot of pressure on us initially.
“It’s no secret that I like to have a few beers with the Mad Bunch after a win.
“But I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do.
“Not because I have to, but because I want to.
“For me this year, I want to build up camps back to back and create consistency.
“Last year I was in camp most of the time, so my growth was huge.
“So now I want to continue doing that.
“And just by living the right lifestyle, people will become stronger and stronger.”
Boxing: Goodman vs. Schrives, Hardman vs. Saavedra, Scott vs. Leilua | Wednesday, March 13 | Order now on Main Event on Kayo Sports
Leilua laughs at Scott's insult about body bags | 00:32
Goodman and Shrives had several physical confrontations during the match, but the rising star stressed there were no personal issues between the pair.
“Or not for me,” he said.
“Maybe it’s because of Mark, I don’t know.
“However, I haven't said anything to guarantee that, so I don't know why it would happen.
“Yes, that man will definitely be punished.
“If you were going to have a beer in a pub, you wouldn’t go with Mark Shrives.
“But for me, there was nothing personal about this. Really, it's just like you're putting up with a whining child.
“He's just annoying.”
Asked this week about the claim that Shrives had become world No. 1, Goodman continued:
“And he's definitely not going to interfere with the way I fight.
“If anything, Mark is just looking for a million ways to make himself believe he can beat him.
“So he’s saying I’m struggling with my weight and he’s in my head.
“He said I wasn’t sleeping with anyone.
“He's never fought anyone.
“He's just trying to convince himself that he can actually win.”
Goodman vs. Schleips – Press Conference | 32:36
Asked how many family members and friends would be in the crowd to see the emotional pay-per-view headliner, Goodman said his mother, Roxanne, had personally sorted out more than 600 tickets. I answered yes.
“And I physically handed them out myself,” he revealed.
“Mom is a really hard worker.
“She sorted through all the tickets that weren’t already including all the other tickets that she got online through various links and so on.
“She's been a little stressed this past week, but she's done great.
“Your joints will be wobbly.”
Given Inoue's popularity in Japan, it's likely Goodman will headline a venue like the Tokyo Dome later this year, where the superstar is scheduled to face Mexico's Luis Neri.
So, is this his only gong experience, especially considering things are about to get big really fast?
“We know it has the potential to get big really quickly,” Goodman agreed.
“But I would never say I would never fight in Wollongong again.
“I want to be able to do something here.
“If it was a world title fight, I might go to WIN Stadium next door.
“I’m never too big for my hometown.
“But I have to get through this fight first and I'm going to get through it.
“This is something I've wanted for a long time and it's finally here, so I'm going to enjoy it.”
full fight card
Sam Goodman vs. Mark Shrives.super bantamweight
Isaac Hardman vs. Endry Saavedra; Middleweight
Curtis Scott vs. Joey Leilua.heavyweight
Kiki Toa Leutele vs. Arsene Fosso; Heavyweight
Cohen Mazoudieh vs. Travis Druce; super welterweight
Zeke Campbell vs. Laban Stringer.super welterweight
undercard
Chloe Gretsch vs. Connie Brown.super flyweight
charlie kazzi def Roy Gabela via UD (40-35 x 3)
campbell somerville def Sandeep Kumar Round 1 TKO Win
Follow the cards in our live blog below.
Boxing: Goodman vs. Schrives, Hardman vs. Saavedra, Scott vs. Leilua | Wednesday, March 13 | Order now on Main Event on Kayo Sports
