AGONY ANT Ogogo: I’ve been in a dark place but Joshua has helped me get through it

and then, more troublingly, a fractured eye socket, which meant he could be registered blind.

Incredibly, Ogogo was a point up against Craig Cunningham last October in the 12th fight of his career when his team pulled him out in round eight.

But he had been struggling with double vision throughout the contest and it transpired he had suffered multiple fractures before he even climbed into the ring that night.

Specialists told the former Strictly Come Dancing star he would never fight again.

But his desire to win a world title meant he refused to give up and he hopes to be back out by autumn at the latest, with a third and final operation – “a tweak” – expected sometime next month. Ogogo, 28, (right) said: “The last six months have been the worst of my life, I’ve been in a really, really dark place.

“All I’ve wanted is to become a world champion, to fulfil my potential and live my dream.

“And, for some reason, I have never had the chance to do that, never had a fair crack of the whip.

“At the Olympics, the biggest platform I thought I ever wanted, it was ruined for me because my mum was ill and the highlight of my pro career is my debut, which is quite sad.

“My dream is a big fight at Wembley and seeing Anthony announce that fight and watching the build-up, that’s exactly what has kept me going over the past few months. When Anthony joined the GB squad, I sort of took him under my wing, I was the established fighter in the squad and he was the new kid.

“We were in France and I remember walking to the shops with him, talking to him. For someone who was below me, if you like, to do what he has done, I’m really, really proud of him.

“But that’s what is pushing me to come back.

“I had world-renowned experts telling me it was time to call it a day, telling me it was untreatable, but I refused to admit that.

“The things I have been through out of the boxing ring shows my toughness and now I want people to see how tough I can be in the ring.

“I could lead a comfortable, nice lifestyle, but I don’t want that.

“I want to lead a hard, tough, brutal lifestyle – because I want to become world champion.”