Antonio Inoki still has his fighting spirit!
Antonio Inoki was diagnosed with systemic transthyretin amyloidosis in recent years and has been in and out of hospitals but in a new interview with Tokyo Sports, Antonio is talking about his health end of the reason spinal cord injury to Shinjiro Otani.
In regards to his own health, he says that although he appears to be doing fine, he cannot exert energy unless he is in very strong health end even says he's nearly died 4 times.
“As you can see, I can’t fake it… I’ve almost died about four times, to the surprise of even the doctors, but I’m still alive,” he said. “That ‘you look fine’ was the selling point. I can’t exert energy unless I’m really healthy, so I take care of myself every day. Hospitalization? I’ve been in and out of the hospital for about three years now (laughs)."
In regards to Shinjiro Otani’s injury, Inoki said it was a very scary injury and noted that he can't sugarcoat the situation with happy messages like "get well soon.”
“I heard the details a couple of days ago,” he said. “I can’t say, ‘Accidents like this can’t be helped,’ but I guess a wrestler’s neck is the most important thing. I used to bridge with hundreds of kilograms of weights, and I was probably the heaviest man in the world. Conversely, wrestling is sometimes seen as a very lenient sport, but on the other hand, it has its own harsh side. I’ve been sent to the hospital several times in my nearly 60 years, and there are many bad places…
“I can’t say sweet words,” he continued. “I can’t say anything sweet, like, ‘Please get better soon.’ I heard that he is very seriously injured. Cervical vertebrae injuries are scary, you know. Even though I exercise my neck, it still depends on the angle at which I catch myself.”
It was recently announced that ZERO-1 would be hosting a benefit show for Otani and William Regal announced that part of the proceeds for his merchandise will be going to benefit Otani as well.