Man Who Wanted to Become a Boxer Switches to Acting After a Tragic Incident at the Age of 16

• A story about how a brutal attack by six teenagers ended a man's dreams of being a boxer, but he found a new passion in theatre
• Oliver Sykes was assaulted at the age of 16 with a beer bottle and stomped on his hand, which left him with permanent damage and facial scars
• He later met one of his attackers, who blamed substance abuse, jealousy and toxic masculinity for his actions

When Oliver Sykes was 16 years old, he had a promising future as a boxer.

He had won several amateur titles and was training for his first professional fight, he loved the sport and dreamed of becoming a champion.

But one night, his life changed forever. He was walking home from the gym when he was attacked by a group of men who stabbed him multiple times in the chest and abdomen.

Read also

"Men do cry too": Georgina Onuoha shares how Saint Obi's marriage ruined him till he died

Switching to acting and film producing

He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and spent weeks in intensive care.

The attack left him with severe physical and psychological scars.

He also suffered nerve damage that affected his balance and coordination. He had to learn how to walk again and cope with chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He realized that he would never be able to box again. After much anger and depression, one day, he found a new passion that helped him heal: film adaptation.

"So, I swapped punchbags and skipping ropes for scripts and rehearsal rooms, and I relished the thrill of performing in front of a live audience. Theatre soon became my biggest passion and it has remained this way through college, university (where I graduated with a first-class honours degree in theatre studies) and into the world of work," he told Guardian UK.

Read also

Video of African 'Samson' with world's 'strongest hair' goes viral: "Na Delilah go still take him power"

Nigerian man makes it in life, rebuilds father’s house, changes roof & repaints structure with cool colours

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that A young Nigerian man, @kingpromise082, remembered his family after he made it in life. The man used his wealth to rebuild his family's old house.

In a video he shared online, the man showed people how his father's old house before he started rebuilding it. The building was unplastered.

The man employed builders to change its design. Carpenters also replaced the old roof with new ones. The exterior was redesigned. The son also spent heavily on the building's interior decor.

Source: Legit.ng