BoxRec

Taken from FWtv.

Anthony Farnell has vowed to carry on fighting – despite his parents pleading with him to quit after a shock loss to Eugenio Montero.

Farnell was suffering from viral meningitis at the time of the fight – but didn’t know he had the potentially fatal condition until he was rushed to hospital afterwards.

"The doctors said it was a miracle I even made it out to fight in the first place,” he told the Manchester Evening News.

“I went out and won the opening round, but I was aware that I didn't feel at my best.

"All of sudden it just felt like I'd done a 10-mile run.

"I remember the bright lights hurting my eyes and I think the doctors thought I'd suffered a brain injury of some sort.

"I have gradually got over it and now have one last week off before resuming training."

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This is great news. Farnell will be three times world champion, just like Lennox Lewis

Firstly, the ambulance got lost, then he was bleeding from the eye, then he had viral meningitis...Farnell ought to be a B-movie scriptwriter.

Farnell should quit he is a trier with a large heart but any one with a half decent skills can beat him up.

Is Farnell just unlucky? There always seems to be something wrong with him after a loss? Just an observation...

Here is the article in full-

'How I nearly lost my life in the ring'

BRAVE boxer Anthony Farnell has spoken of the moment when he was nearly robbed of his life in the ring.

The Failsworth middleweight was rushed to hospital with blood seeping from his left eye after losing his World Boxing Union title to Eugenio Montero in Manchester last month.

Doctors at the ringside believed he had suffered a severe concussion after referee Dave Perris stopped the fight in the 10th round.

But only later during tests at North Manchester General Hospital did it emerge that Farnell had actually been infected with viral meningitis in the hours before the fight.

He was also left paralysed for a week after an injection to take fluid from his spine accidentally hit a nerve.

Now his parents Gary and Teresa have pleaded with him to hang up his gloves and quit boxing for good.

But 26-year-old Anthony has vowed to fight on and is determined to regain the title he believes he would never have lost but for his medical condition.

He said: "The doctors said it was a miracle I even made it out to fight in the first place. I went out and won the opening round, but I was aware that I didn't feel at my best.

"All of sudden it just felt like I'd done a 10-mile run.

"I remember the bright lights hurting my eyes and I think the doctors thought I'd suffered a brain injury of some sort.

"I have gradually got over it and now have one last week off before resuming training."

Viral meningitis is a less severe illness than bacterial meningitis, but is still potentially lethal.

How ironic Farnell is from somewhere called Failsworth

steve689 wrote:How ironic Farnell is from somewhere called Failsworth

My mate used to live on Roman Rd in Failsworth, near Oldham and I have been boozing round the Failsworth Pole - its a shitehole.

I personally think he should continue, whilst the Monterio defeat is a damaging one both physically and to his career he has come back before and as long as he sticks to his level, should earn a few more pounds.

He must also stick to a weight (I say Light Middle).

007 wrote:Is Farnell just unlucky? There always seems to be something wrong with him after a loss? Just an observation...

Unlucky enough to be crap at making excuses.

The meningitis story is 100% true, I'd say it's a fairly valid excuse for losing a boxing match. Anybody with half a brain could see he wasn't himself in that fight.

farnell is a good fighter and a good freind and i think he still has a lot to offer if he sort his head out and gets back down to light middle and find the fire that he used to have when he was becomeing a house hold name what ever he does i wish him and all his family all the best.Tony dodson

It's a bit worrying.

He had those problems late last year that could have ended his career. Wasn't it something to do with a failed brain scan?

Now he has another problem with meningitis, I'm wondering if that is linked to the above.

He could be an accident waiting to happen.

whilst i like farnell hes going nowhere with his career. the best he'll end up being in a name journey man. no doubt uncle frank will get him "title" shots against nobodies but is that worth risking your health for?

as ive said before if he genuinelly fought with menegitis, of any kind, knowing full well the possible repurcissions but still kept the fact hidden, then frankly the guys an arsehole and should be banned for his own good.

i dont think he knew this before he fought neil, i think this only come to light in the hospital after he had post fight tests.
maybe getting beat and going to the hospital was a blessing in disguise for farnell, that meningitis is bad shit. early diagnosis is important so maybe its worked out for the better, he could have won and went home and woke up in a bad way.
i think farnell should call it a day, he`s brave, got a big heart and is gutsy as fornicate but at the higher levels he gets found wanting skillz wise.
he`s got his health and faculties so i say call it quits and get out now. if anthony was a stick and move merchant then maybe yeah, carry on but farnell`s fights always seem to end up in the trenches and if he keeps on fighting for say, another five years i cant see it not affecting his health detrementally. you just cant keep going to war without getting wounded.
he`d be a loss to the sport because he is a character but at the end of the day he`s what? 26, why ruin the quality of the rest of his life for a few minor pay dayz.
he should listen to his parents.

headhunter wrote:i dont think he knew this before he fought neil, i think this only come to light in the hospital after he had post fight tests.

i understood that farnell knew about this but continued to go ahead with the fight anyhow. if im wrong then ill happily stand corrected

Is there any truth in the stories that he takes his belt (or did take his belt) out everywhere he goes, i.e doctors, tescos etc...

The only thing Farnell ,is destined for is walking up and down Oldham rd , on his heels spluttering and spiting has he talks, Has he makes his way home to start drawing ducks on his bedroom wall.

This is where a good trainer sits him down and says son , u gone has far has u can its time to give up.

FlawedGenius wrote:The meningitis story is 100% true, I'd say it's a fairly valid excuse for losing a boxing match. Anybody with half a brain could see he wasn't himself in that fight.

how do you know that it's "100% true"?

neil r wrote:as ive said before if he genuinelly fought with menegitis, of any kind, knowing full well the possible repurcissions but still kept the fact hidden, then frankly the guys an arsehole and should be banned for his own good.

It was revealed in tests at the hospital after the fight. To suggest he'd knowingly go into a fight with a dangerous illness like meningitis is stupid.

In which comic did you read that he knew about it beforehand anyway - or have you just made it up?

FlawedGenius wrote:

neil r wrote:as ive said before if he genuinelly fought with menegitis, of any kind, knowing full well the possible repurcissions but still kept the fact hidden, then frankly the guys an arsehole and should be banned for his own good.

It was revealed in tests at the hospital after the fight. To suggest he'd knowingly go into a fight with a dangerous illness like meningitis is stupid.

In which comic did you read that he knew about it beforehand anyway - or have you just made it up?

Good uptight bitchy response there. still never mind. the symptoms of viral meningitis are.. fever, headache, stiff neck, and tiredness. Rash, sore throat, and vomiting can also occur.

Now to make this easy for you to understand FlawedGenius, symptoms are things that occur before you go into hospital. So if Farnell genuinlly had viral meningitis then it not unreasonable to presume he was suffering from some, if not all of the above symptoms for a period of time before and during the fight.

So a boxer preparing for a fight suffering unexplained headaches, fever like symptoms, stiffness in the neck area as well as vomitting etc and not getting it checked out (I mean who in their right mind in any occupation would ignore the sudden appearance of unexplained frequent headaches?)or keeping these potentially life threatening symptoms quiet, whether he knows the reason or not, is quite simply an arsehole, like it or not FlawedGenuis.

but maybe your right FlawedGenius maybe Farnell didnt notice he had a sore head, maybe his neck is usually stiff and its perfectly normal for him to suffer fever like symptoms. Perhaps the sickness might have been down to an unexpected pregnancy

hope your enjoying your Beano

The doctors believe Arnie contracted the illness in the hours leading upto the fight, not a number of days before. The symptoms began to show themselves during the fight, not before it.

Following on from that. Neil, you seem to be a bit of an expert on meningitis, so perhaps you can answer me these two questions:

1) Do you have any facts that prove the symptoms of viral meningitis cannot develop within a matter of hours of exposure?

2) Also, is it not feasible that participating in a boxing match may act as a catalyst to the rate the virus' symptoms begin to show?

FlawedGenius wrote:Following on from that. Neil, you seem to be a bit of an expert on meningitis, so perhaps you can answer me these two questions:

1) Do you have any facts that prove the symptoms of viral meningitis cannot develop within a matter of hours of exposure?

2) Also, is it not feasible that participating in a boxing match may act as a catalyst to the rate the virus' symptoms begin to show?

Firstly I cant quite see how you think Im an expert on meningitis. I have experience of it but certainly not an expert.

As far as im aware the symptoms of meningitis can manifest themselves in a very short period of time. in very rare and extreme cases the disease can kill in that time scale. which is why anyone showing any of the symptoms should seek medical opinion straight away

To quote from Farnells own website.. "after my fight the doctors took out tests on me and discovered I had meningitis! They couldn't believe I walked to the ring..." this to me would suggest that the doctors were of a mind that Farnell had full blown meningitis before the fight, since after all they were amazed he could walk to the ring. Now surely someone suffering from an illness such as meningitis that was apparently at such an acute stage that doctors were amazed he could walk a hundred or so yards prior to boxing, would have to be showing some kind of symptoms.

as for your second question i honestly have no idea. it may be feasable that undertaking an exercise which cause the blood to pump round the body faster may indice the illness to manifest itselkf at a greater rate. but then the fact that people die from meningitis in a matter of hours would suggest that its not the activity but the rate the strain itself spread at naturally

Farnell should hang up his gloves, he's had a good crack of the whip so far and has done very well.

If he carries on it could be another case of the board being sued.

So what were saying is that ARNIE knew he had viral menningitis?
You dont get prescribed that or u cant buy it on the black market where as nandrolone.

U TELL ME .