A blind boxer is gearing up for his first ever fight, and he’ll be taking on a full-sighted opponent when he steps into the ring.
It’s a remarkably brave challenge to undertake, but that’s exactly what Thomas Seres is set to do when he enters a charity bout next month.
The 23-year-old fighter is registered as blind and can only see three feet in front of him because of severe congenital glaucoma, which also means that he has to walk with a cane.
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Still, he is throwing himself full tilt into preparations for this fight, stating that ‘losing is not an option’.
He told The Sun: “I’ve always wanted to box but didn’t think I could until I joined a boxing gym.
“I’ll give it my best in the fight — win, lose or draw.
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“Boxing’s quite an up-close sport so that’s in my favour, but I’ll struggle seeing some of the punches coming in.”
Thomas, who lives in Barnsley, has managed to attain a level two boxing certificate despite his sight problems, also wants to have a good fight, rather than some sort of friendly knockabout.
“I hope he doesn’t go easy on me for being blind,” he said.
“He’ll pay if he does. I have a knockout punch.”
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At the minute, Thomas is in full swing with his training, lifting weights in the gym for some days of the week, then training his boxing skills three times per week as well.
The fight is set to raise a decent chunk of cash for Cancer Research UK, so it’s all for a good cause.
In his lifetime, Thomas has undergone more than 60 operations after being diagnosed with congenital glaucoma, a rare disease that affects the eyes.
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That started off when he was young, according to his mother Kelly Seres.
Kelly told the Barnsley Chronicle: “From when he was born we thought that something was wrong.
“He had his first operation at two weeks old and since then he’s had more than 60 and he has little vision.
“He’s been going to The Combat Academy in Barugh Green for a few months and he’s always wanted to take part in an event.
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“We lost his grandad to stomach cancer around three or four years ago and he was very close to him.
“We had to wait for approval but we found out this week that he’d be able to fight - I’m so proud of him.
“He’s just hoping to raise as much money as possible.”
If you want to help out by donating some of your own money, you can do so on his JustGiving page here.
If you can, you should, because it’s a seriously brave thing to do, and a good cause to do it for.
Tom Wood