Alen Babic on shoulder injury: "My left shoulder, it kind of snapped, but then I just went on and after the fight, it was terrible pain." The Croatian will only be sidelined for a few months after six KO wins
Wednesday 20 January 2021 17:47, UK
Alen Babic has undergone surgery after revealing how a shoulder ligament "snapped" in his win over Tom Little, but the Croatian contender still hopes to return in May.
'The Savage' Babic blasted aside Little to bring up his sixth professional victory, all by knockout, despite suffering an agonising injury in the opening minutes of the heavyweight fight in November.
The 30-year-old required an operation in Croatia by a specialist surgeon who is optimistic that Babic will be fit to resume his explosive career within a few months.
"I felt the injury in the first round of my last fight," Babic told Sky Sports. "My right shoulder, it kind of snapped, but then I just went on and after the fight, it was terrible pain.
"I went through the pain, I thought it was nothing, and then after two months, I finally got to check it out and the MRI showed that my upper bicep is torn.
"He needed to reattach the ligament to my bicep. He had to put in some screws, some plates to hold them in place, but he was very happy with the surgery. It was much smaller, the surgery, than he thought it would be.
"The first thing he told me was seven, eight months, and now he told me three months I'm back as new. I'm happy. I'm happy in a hospital, which means a lot, it means everything.
"I hope I will return in May and I hope some crowd will be allowed back in, so I have a proper comeback. That will be a dream for 'The Savage' to perform in front of my 'Savage Army.'
Babic has received expert advice on rehabilitation from manager Dillian Whyte, who overcame a career-threatening shoulder injury earlier in his career.
"I was devastated, because I was training for two months with my injury, and the surgeon said he doesn't know how I did it," said Babic.
"I just went through the pain and said it's okay, but the MRI showed that it was pretty bad.
"I talk to Dillian every day. Of course, I'm going to listen to him and I'm going to do everything he says.
After three knockouts in four months, Babic hopes to resume his busy schedule with four more fights this year.
Lucas Browne was set to face Fabio Wardley, another member of Team Whyte, but pulled out at short notice and Babic now intends to inflict a punishing defeat on the Australian.
"I would like actually to have a big fight, because I'm going to be ready 200 per cent," he said.
"I'm going to go all in again. I would like Lucas Browne, he's a name I would like to fight.
"I think we would go to war, because I've been tested. They test me every fight, I was tested six times, so now I want someone who will really hit me back.
"Three fights would be okay this year, but I would like four."
