British boxing legend Chris Eubank is celebrating victory after undergoing eye surgery to defeat his poor vision.

The former WBO middleweight and super-middleweight champion had intraocular lens replacement (IOL) surgery at Optical Express to correct an age-related decline in his distance vision.

Now that his eyes are fighting fit the former world champion says he is concentrating on his son, Chris Eubank Jr – and he has called out those who have criticised his role in his son’s career.

He said: “Junior’s career is what I’m focusing on. I’m his father and coach, so I’m trying to help him achieve what he wants to achieve and to be happy.

“British boxing is in a very healthy place at the moment with a very good contingent of fighters, including Junior. Boxing is a competition between the two fighters, but also a form of entertainment and Junior is a very exciting boxer.”

Eubank Snr. Insists he is not moulding Junior’s brand of boxing in the image of his own: “No two people walk or talk alike – everyone is different – so effective coaching is about bringing out the best in them and what they can do.

“There is no way he can be like me, he has to be himself and my job is to make sure that he can be the best version of himself.”

When in the ring himself, Eubank Snr. had no problem with his vision, but his distance acuity deteriorated with age.

Having faced fierce opposition in his career from household names like Nigel Benn, he wasn’t fazed ahead of his vision correction: “I wasn’t nervous. When I make a commitment, I make it based on trust, and I trusted the professionals at Optical Express.

“When I get into the ring, nobody wants me to explain what I’m going to do, they want me to actually do it.

“I was right to trust the clinic staff; the results have been astounding.

“I now feel like I have new eyes. It’s strange but true – the results really are like seeing through a fresh pair of eyes. It’s a great procedure and I would strongly recommend it to others.

“It’s absolutely life-changing, there’s no doubt about that.

“Because we’re used to seeing the sea, the sky, people and nature, we take it for granted, but without these eyes we couldn’t see the magical planet on which we live.

“It is magical that we can see these wonders but we take it for granted and the only time you actually appreciate it is when it’s gone.”

Ophthalmic surgeon Dr Jan Venter, who performed Chris’ treatment at Optical Express’ London Westfield clinic, said: “It’s not every day you get to work on a celebrity’s eyes, so it was a privilege to operate on Chris.”

“Prior to surgery Chris was short-sighted and required a different eye prescription for near vision than for far.  In the procedure he underwent, Chris had his natural lens replaced with an artificial one to focus light coming through the cornea and pupil on to the retina.  The artificial lens corrected his far, intermediate and near vision.”

“With short-sightedness or myopia, the eye doesn’t focus properly on the retina, but just in front of it. The artificial lens will move the focal point to match-up with the sensitive layers of the retina.

“It’s great to hear that Chris is enjoying his newly improved vision and we look forward to seeing him in the next few months for his post-operative checks.”