Good call on old "Nella" mate, beat me to it. :yep Also, Mo Hope was one of the first to come back after surgery on a detached retina. Kevin Finnegan too, reportedly happened as early as the first Hagler fight. I think poking out both eyes wouldn't have prevented Finnegan from having a go.
The Blade, after numerous health problems with his eyes, came back to become Comeback of the Year for 1992, winning two titles in two different weight classes in the process.
After losing the heavyweight title to Holyfield, Buster Douglas ballooned up to nearly 400 pounds, nearly died during a diabetic coma, then returned to competition, winning his final two bouts in going 8-1 following his near death experience. I remember when the news broke that he was fighting for his life. The idea that he might again become a winning boxer would have then seemed as absurd as coming back from a stroke.
John L Sullivan shattered his left arm against Patsy Cardiff and later had to have it re-broken. This resulted in him becoming a "one armed" fighter later in his career while freviously he had been a two fisted swarmer. He subsequently suffered a serious illnes and was not expected to survive. Sullivan was actualy on crutches when he started negotiations for the Killrain fight!
Robot16 good shout with Pep and his broken back. They thought he would never walk again, let alone fight. What about Archie Moores stomach operation that left a scar on his stomach and was crucial in inventing Archie Moores Mongoose defence
Gustav Scholz, former European lightheavyweight champion, had a disease of the lung in 1955. After a break of two years he had a great comeback.
Cheers greg, i didnt know that about archie moore, interesting that this setback helped create his style
As i Recall, Eugene Criqui had part of his Jaw blown away by a german bullitt in WWI - it was rebuilt with Steel and Plastic, and he went on to win the world Feather title in 1923 Ron Lyle had a nasty Abdominal Procedure in prison to save his life (i think he was stabbed and Ron's Innurds had to be lifted out to staunch / suture the bleeding points )