TV star Jordan Banjo has revealed the brutal toll boxing has taken on his body – as he challenges another Love Islander for his next big fight.
The Diversity dancer admitted he’s been through two major surgeries thanks to his growing boxing obsession.
I’m A Celeb alum Jordan Banjo shared a snap from a hospital bed last year[/caption]
Jordan with his big brother (and Diversity leader) Ashley Banjo[/caption]
Jordan formed Diversity in 2007 with his brother Ashley, and won the 2009 series of Britain’s Got Talent.
The street dancer has also appeared on shows such as I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here, Dancing on Ice and The Masked Singer, but now laces up his boots for Misfits Boxing.
Jordan, 32, shared snaps from hospital last year as he took on gruelling training for his first ever match.
Speaking about his injury streak, he told The Sun: “Yeah, so I tore my bicep. It was like a full rupture. So I had surgery to reattach it.
“A complete tear, the kind that would put most people out of action for months.
Jordan explained that an earlier injury left him unable to move his finger.
He added: “I’d done a ligament in my hand which had to be repaired so I couldn’t move my little finger… it just had to either move to be straight or move to be bent because the ligament had snapped.”
Despite all that, the determined performer still managed to win his first fight back in May against a Love Island star.
In a refreshing show of sportsmanship, he said they became good mates.
He said: “I had my first fight in May. I won that against Wil Anderson – lovely guy, by the way. We still chat all the time now.”
Despite the painful side of the sport, Jordan insists he’s not done with boxing yet.
He explained: “I was doing some strength and conditioning training and I tore my pec, but that healed up.
“Definitely planning to fight again. Hopefully, November sort of time.”
Jordan says he’s proud to be part of the Misfits boxing scene — though he admits he’s not into the chaos that sometimes comes with it.
He said: “Misfits is a cool place to be. I do sometimes sit there and think, well, this is all a bit nuts because I’m here because I love the sport and I love boxing and I like fighting.
“I’m not sure if picking up a table and lobbing it over my head or smashing eggs into people’s faces and insulting people and getting personal is my type of thing, but people want to fight.”
Fans shouldn’t worry that boxing has wrecked his dancing career, as dancing has also caused even more wear and tear on his body.
“I’ve had like three surgeries on my knees, surgeries on my ankle. I snapped both my thumbs catching Perry once, you know what I mean, so there’s always little injuries and little niggles.”
He might not love the drama, but that hasn’t stopped Jordan from eyeing up his next opponent, and it’s another Love Islander.
He said: “Curtis Pritchard — he’s been over and he’s actually really not bad.
“A lot of people underestimated him before his first fight and were taking the mick out of him. He surprised a lot of people… so potentially Curtis, if he’s still up for it.”
Jordan spoke about his boxing ventures as he teamed up with Fuel10 to promote the Fuel A Breakfast campaign, with a portion of every Fuel pot bought this month going to FareShare, helping families who are facing food insecurity.
Jordan won against Wil Anderson[/caption]
