Retired From Boxing Due To Brain Injury, British Fighter Changes Course To Become A Hollywood Star

Former British boxer Umar Sadiq. (Photo: Instagram @topboxersadiq)

JAKARTA - Former boxer Umar Sadiq continues to fight to become a Hollywood movie star after retiring from boxing due to a traumatic brain injury.

The Briton picked up the injury in a brutal 12th round loss to WBA super middleweight title challenger Fedor Chudinov in Russia in September 2020.

At that time, Sadiq vomited blood and was immediately rushed to the hospital after his defeat. He was sentenced to suffer from a subdural hematoma or bleeding in the brain.

As reported by BoxRec, Sadiq still had time to enter the ring in February 2021. He won by knockout over Rafael Ortiz Moreno.

But after that, the 34-year-old boxer immediately hung up his boxing gloves and struggled to become a star in Hollywood. Now he lives in Los Angeles with his family to pursue his dream.

"In October 2021, I decided I wanted to be an actor. I went to two different (acting) schools at the same time, basically I was a full-time student," he told Boxing Social, reported by The Sun.

Sadiq has made three short films after entering acting classes. One of them is produced jointly. He has also completed two dramas and signed a partnership with an advertising agency.

In addition, he has also undergone at least 90 auditions. He continues to work relentlessly to pursue his dream of becoming a board actor in the world's largest film company.

"I had a subdural hematoma. The medicals told me that I was lucky to be able to recover. So, I decided to completely rely on my childhood dream, step out of the boxing ring and onto the acting stage," he said.

Sadiq made his professional debut in 2017 and went on to win 11 of his 13 professional matches. In addition to losing to Chudinov, he also once surrendered at the hands of Zak Chelli.