HARWICH boxer John Wheatley has been dealt a blow after suffering an eye injury that requires surgery.

The 27-year-old fractured his orbital bone (inner eye socket) during a sparring session and is now due to have an operation on Monday.

The news has come as a major blow as Wheatley, who won his first-ever professional fight last month, had just been offered the chance to box on another show in December.

“It’s with massive regret that I’ve had to pull out,” he said.

“I was looking forward to boxing again and jumped at the opportunity to get another win.

“It’s really early days, in terms of my recovery, as I’ve only just had the initial scan.

“However, the doctors have already confirmed that I need surgery.

“The severity of the fracture will dictate the exact length of recovery time before I can get back in training, but it won’t be this year.”

Wheatley had been humbled by the support he received after winning his first professional fight, defeating Matt Seawright in a welterweight bout in Grays.

According to boxing database Boxrec.com, he became Harwich’s first professional boxer in almost 80 years – since Fred Goodchild in 1936.

Now he faces a spell on the sidelines and has been told it will be at least three months before he can start sparring and boxing again.

Reflecting on his setback, Wheatley added: “The main thing to stress is that although we take every precaution, every sport, especially professional boxing, comes with the risk of injury.

“However, hopefully this is just a small setback on my way towards big things in the sport.

“I’d hate for this to somehow negatively affect how people see the sport.

“It was just a freak accident in what was a good, tidy and well-balanced sparring session.”