One month after announcing his forced retirement from professional boxing, Lincolnshire fighter Nathan Decastro says that dealing with life outside of the ring has “left a void” which has “hit him hard.”
The fighter announced his retirement to his followers on Twitter one month ago, saying: “I’m absolutely heartbroken. A massive thank you to everyone who’s supported me on this amazing journey,
“Now onto the next chapter of my life… 116 fights, over and out. Thank you.”
The former World Boxing Union (WBU) and World Boxing Federation (WBF) champion was undefeated at professional level, but was forced to retire due to his underlying eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa.
The 28 year-old was sent to a specialist to have a cataract on his eye removed. The doctor then discovered the condition he’s had since birth that deteriorates eyesight over time.
Decastro confessed in a social media post that he managed to pass the rigorous boxing eye tests by “remembering the letters and then repeating them from memory” in order to gain his professional license.
Since his retirement, Decastro says that he has struggled coming to terms with never being able to box again. He said: “It has hit me hard to be fair. I’ve not been in the best place really.
“I’m not at the gym and not focusing on something 24/7 which means there is a bit of a void in my life. I’ve just been in the pub, not been training, and I’ve just been getting home from work and either chilling out and going to bed or going to the pub.
“It’s time to snap out of it now and pull myself together and start doing something positive instead of feeling sorry for myself.”
The former fighter, who represented Bracebridge Boxing Club in Lincoln, said he has future plans to remain in boxing through coaching. He said: “I’m going to start helping out down the boxing club to start the next chapter of my career.
“I want to start training some of the younger fighters and trying to pass on a bit of what I learned to the next generation coming through.”
