A BOXER has shown his warrior's heart after he vowed to fight the man who beat Mike Tyson despite suffering an 'agonising' injury.

Jon DP Shaw, now resting up at his Worcester home, sent out a defiant message from his hospital bed after he tore his chest during his last fight, an injury which required major surgery.

The heavyweight fighter and anti-knife campaigner still won by knockout, sending his opponent to the canvas with a powerful right hand, battling through the pain barrier in his encounter with the ex-pro.

The 32-year-old dad from Worcester now plans to fight Danny Williams, the man famous for knocking out possibly the most feared boxer of all time, 'Iron Mike' Tyson. Mr Shaw is set to fight Williams in a big clash at the O2 in London on Friday, October 13, postponed from April 1.

Mr Shaw of DP Boxing said: "Pain is temporary. Pride lasts forever."

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Mr Shaw won his last fight against ex-pro Hastings Rasani by knockout in the second round and suffered the double tear just seconds into the match on February 2.

Rasani has an impressive fighting pedigree, clashing with some of the best in the business, including Dillian Whyte, Lucas Browne and Tony Bellew. 

He described the injury as 'agony' and 'excruciating' and felt like his chest had been 'ripped off'.

"I've never experienced pain like it. Just through adrenalin and determination, I managed to get through it," he said.

Mr Shaw explained that, for many, tears like this in the tendons were 'career-ending'.

But he added: "We're not here to take part, we're here to take over. This is just another obstacle to overcome on the journey - and the journey is never straightforward. I will come back stronger than ever."

An MRI scan showed a 'sustained bilateral pectoralis major rupture'.

The clinical conclusion is a 'large almost complete tear (left side) and complete (right side) tears within the sternal head of the pectoralis major muscle belly, with retraction of the torn fibres and large haematoma at the site of the muscle tears'.

It is not the first time Mr Shaw has shown his mettle. We reported last June how the coach, who trains fighters of all ages and abilitie at his Sherriff Street gym, emerged triumphant with a points victory over Adam Harris in Swindon, stunning him with a right uppercut.

He had a broken hand throughout the bout and broke the other hand in the fight itself but carried on till the end.

Mr Shaw praised 'top-notch' promoter Danny Maclaren and DKM Plush Boxing for being so understanding about the injury. Mr Shaw will still be a judge, alongside Danny Williams on April 1. They will still have a face-off in the ring to promote their up-and-coming fight.

The procedure, which happened under general anaesthetic and lasted over two hours, took place at Kidderminster Hospital on Tuesday. So Mr Shaw does not lose the use of both arms at the same time, the second surgery will take place in four weeks' time.