A BRADFORD boxer believes he would have become a household name if he had stuck at the sport more down the years.

Last month, Jermaine Springer announced he was hanging up his gloves after compiling an 8-3 (2KOs) record over a four-year professional career.

The reason behind why the 33-year-old decided to call it a day is a cruel one.

Following his final defeat, on Channel 5 against Shakan Pitters, Springer discovered he needed surgery on a detached retina. It allowed him to get back to winning ways on April 9 in Oldham.

However, unfortunately, the injury occurred once again in the aftermath of the bout meaning the ex semi-pro footballer required another emergency operation. It was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of Springer's time inside the ropes.

He said: "In the lead up to my last fight, I kept seeing a flashing light but I thought that was just fight week doubts which you normally get. It was a good performance, my plan was to climb the rankings.

"I got it checked after the fight and the retina had detached again, so I needed an emergency operation.

"Although the operation went well, I have to keep going in for check-ups and I am still a bit concerned as I have blurred vision.

"There is no way my missus would let me box on after this most recent operation. At the end of the day, my health comes first."

The light heavyweight spared some of Britain’s best and more than held his own.

If you go back to his amateur days (21-5), Springer became an ABA senior novice champion in 2012 by taking down current Sky Sports favourite Richard Riakporhe.

This after reaching the National Schoolboy finals at the age of 13 - months after taking up the sport at Barkerend-based Karmand Centre.

It was the gaps in-between these achievements that Springer thinks stopped him from having more success as a pro.

"I made the mistake of leaving the sport after I had success as a schoolboy when I was 13," he said.

"I was fighting in the schoolboys around the same time as the likes of (future world champions) Amir Khan, George Groves and Billy Joe Saunders.

"I have always regretted not using my full potential. I 100 per cent believe that if I had stayed in the sport right through I would have become a household name. I came back to it in my twenties. My advice to the kids of today would be just to stick at it."

Retirement can be an extremely different thing to process for a fighter. No more bright lights, no more routine, no more people asking when your next fight is, the list goes on.

Thankfully, Springer is coping well, knowing that he remains in the trade, albeit in the corner rather than through the ropes.

"It does feel strange to have retired. It was a bit of a shock at the time and it has only just sunk in now. I am just taking it one day at a time. It was inevitable that I would feel down, it's just about picking yourself up.

"My plan was when it was time to retire to always stay in boxing and that is what I have done. I am currently training fighters at Ostas on the way to getting my amateur coaches licence."