Ryan Burnett is made of tough stuff.
Burnett amazingly managed to see out the round after suffering what looked like a serious injury midway through the fourth round of his World Boxing Super Series bantamweight quarter-final against Nonito Donaire last weekend.
Burnett clutched his back after overextending on a right hand and immediately took a knee.
Somehow, the 26-year-old managed to fight on until the bell but once the adrenaline wore off, the pain became too much for Burnett in his corner and he failed to make it off his stool for the fifth, costing him his WBA title and undefeated record.
Burnett required oxygen before he was carried out of the ring on a stretcher and was in visible agony as medics attempted to make him as comfortable as possible.
Ryan Burnett retires on his stool after the 4th round with what seems to be a back injury. Sad to see him loose like that’ Get well soon Champ #BurnettDonaire #WBSS2 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gnouvEbBKA
— BOXING CORNER 2️⃣4️⃣/7️⃣ (@boxingcorner247) November 3, 2018
Donaire, who moves on to face WBO champion Zolani Tete in the semi-finals, was all class after the fight as he sent his best wishes to Burnett but it’s taken almost a week for us to find out the extent of his injuries.
“Firstly, thank you to everyone for your support and kind messages,” Burnett wrote on Instagram.
“I want to thank Nonito Donaire for sharing the ring with me, and for being a man of such great character, and I wish him all the best for the remainder of the WBSS.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp90eXelBJ8/
“I am absolutely gutted not to be world champion. This scenario was totally out of my control, but I understand, injury is the difficult part of sporting life.
“My assessments have been completed, and diagnosed that I have torn muscle fibres in my right internal oblique, where a portion of the muscle has also detached from the bone where it inserts.
“This is not a career-ending injury but is one that will require intensive treatment and rehabilitation.
“I will pick myself up, make myself strong again, and get back to where I believe I belong, as champion of the world.”
