Brain bleed pushes Umar Sadiq to ditch boxing for acting

• Nigerian-born British boxer Umar Sadiq has had his brush with death from a traumatic brain injury in 2020
• He started coughing blood after a bout with Russian Fedor Chudinov who won the match
• Sadiq ditched boxing for acting and relocated to Los Angeles, where he enrolled  in a music school

Nigerian-born British boxer Umar Sadiq has had his brush with death from a traumatic brain injury and this experience changed his life.

Today, Sadiq is an upcoming movie star in Hollywood following his premature retirement from boxing.

The British boxer lost a harsh 12-round decision to Fedor Chudinov. He is a previous contender for the world super-middleweight title, in Russia in September of 2020.

After his last-minute fight with the Russian, Sadiq was hospitalized with a brain bleed called subdural haematoma. After the fight, the 34-year-old needed air and began to “cough up blood.”

DID UMAR SADIQ SURVIVE BRAIN BLEED?

Umar Sadiq. Photo/MpjiDelano

The 34-year-old fighter kept fighting despite the desires of the British Board of Boxing Control despite enduring a horrendous ordeal.

Before then, Frank Warren shared an image of the courageous Brit awake in a hospital bed beside the judges’ scorecards in 2020. It indicated Sadiq had lost by a razor-thin margin of points.

Warren said that Umar Sadiq proved that he ‘could mix it beyond British level’, the promoter tweeted. With that kind of show, he had every right to be proud, and his promoters couldn’t wait to welcome him back to the shores.

Sadiq, who came into the battle with a perfect record, agreed to face Chudinov on short notice. While staying in a hotel in Russia a week before the fight, he told reporters that he and his team were “extremely rushed” in their preparations for the fight.

He told the Mirror that if he wasn’t certain of winning, he wouldn’t be out there because he didn’t have to take the fight?

Nonetheless, he had a fantastic support system which helped him prepare for the big fight. Nevertheless, Sadiq ended up in a hospital bed with a massive brain bleed that shook his entire team to the core.

WHY DID UMAQ SADIQ RETIRE?

Umar Sadiq has announced his retirement from boxing a few weeks back. The Nigerian-born British boxer kept it quiet for over a year but eventually spoke to Boxing Social.

Sadiq kept his fans guessing of his next future throughout 2021 and part of 2022 until he spoke to Ayman Khan. He hang his boots to pursue a different career path after his brush with death.

Sadiq and his wife relocated to Los Angeles, where he is pursuing a career in acting. It was always a longstanding goal after boxing but it came too early. Sadiq is now enjoying his post-retirement years to the fullest.

Umaq Sadiq. Photo/The Mirror

He started his acting classes in October 2021and he has no regrets about this decision.

“I’m doing amazing things in the short time I’ve been doing this. October 2021, I decided I wanted to be an actor. I’m in two different [acting] schools at the same time, I’m essentially a full-time student,” he said.

Surprisingly, the British boxer has several films which he features in and co-produced but is still working through to get to the top.

“Since then, done three short films, one of which I co-produced. I’ve done two plays. I’ve signed with an agent for commercials and print. I’ve had a ton of head shots done. I’ve easily done over 90 auditions. My work rate is relentless but a lot of that comes from boxing.”

Umaq Sadiq’s boxing career ends with a record of (11-2, 7 KOs). It includes a loss by points in the eighth round to Zak Chelli, a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Kody Davies.

He also has an admirable performance in a loss to Chudinov in September 2020 – his last fight before the brain bleed diagnosis.

As is customary, Sadiq’s boxing license was revoked after the British Boxing Board of Control discovered that he had suffered a subdural haematoma, also known as a brain bleed, in the aftermath of the 12th round knockout loss.

He freely acknowledges that by the fourth round, he was “gassed out,” despite the fact that it was his finest performance.  He had multiple times when he was on top and seemed like he could create the upset.