Boxing legend Jeff Fenech, 59, rushed to hospital with mystery illness before undergoing SIX-HOUR open heart surgery
BOXING legend Jeff Fenech has undergone lengthy open heart surgery after being rushed to hospital with a mystery illness.
The 59-year-old, who was a world champion at three weights, is regarded as Australia’s greatest-ever fighter.
Now he is in the biggest battle of his life after being hospitalised this week.
Fenech, who won 28 of his 33 fights, underwent urgent tests on his heart at a private hospital in Sydney.
That was after his body temperature reached almost 40 degrees.
He then underwent open heart surgery that lasted almost SIX HOURS.
Fenech was forced out of his punditry role on Main Event’s broadcast for Curtis Scott’s professional boxing debut last night.
However, his colleague on the Aussie channel Ben Damon has since confirmed that the icon is recovering after doctors replaced a leaking infected heart valve.
He tweeted: “Great news! The legendary Jeff Fenech has had successful open heart surgery to replace a leaking infected heart valve and is now recovering in hospital.
“The surgeon is happy with how the six hour operation went.”
This is the second time that Fenech has undergone open heart surgery.
Surgeons in Thailand replaced another infected valve while he was holidaying there back in 2019.
Amazingly, the ex-boxer was able to speaking to News Corp on Wednesday, saying: “I feel s***house.
“I’m as sick as a dog. I have a mystery infection. I’m sick of it.
“They think it has something to do with my heart and valves. They have done heaps of tests. I don’t yet know what the results are.”
Fenech revealed he had been battling a fever for nearly two weeks and had hoped to avoid surgery.
He added: “I hope I don’t need surgery but I don’t know. I hope not, I hope not.
“I also have a really bad infection in my wrist and they think it could be heart related. If you see my wrist you’d die, it’s massive. It’s red, inflamed, swollen and sore.
“It could be an infection coming from the valves which has spread through my body. They don’t know yet.
“Of course I’m worried, of course I am. I don’t want another operation. F*** that.”
The ‘Marrickville Mauler’ firstly needed the open heart surgery almost five years ago while battling pneumonia, and that forced him to miss his daughter Jess get married.
He then began coughing up blood and had a shaking fit prior to going to hospital in Bangkok.
Fenech was then cut open as surgeons performed a five-hour operation and drained fluid from his lungs and replaced his heart valve.
Speaking in 2019, he said: “I’ve got some pretty bad news, I’ve got an infected valve that’s connected to my heart.
“Which means over the next few days they’ll try to get rid of the infection and then I’ll have to have surgery.”
More to follow…