Germany’s 32-year-old Nina Meinke, the reigning IBF featherweight champion, is reportedly facing permanent paralysis because of a sudden life-threatening condition she was diagnosed with a couple of weeks ago. This came after the southpaw defended her title for the third time against Daniela Romina Bermudez on May 10th earlier this year. But you must be wondering, what exactly happened?
According to reports, the Berlin native had been suffering from crippling back and leg pain, which was later diagnosed as a compressed nerve in her lower spine. Once the condition was confirmed through a scan by doctors, she was immediately rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery under the supervision of a spinal specialist. It’s being reported that the surgery itself was a success, but Meinke isn’t completely out of danger.
Doctors revealed that the 32-year-old 20-3 boxer was on the verge of losing all sensation in her right leg, necessitating urgent surgery. While the German world champion has regained some feeling and is now free from pain, specialists warn that she has only a 20% chance of making a full recovery. Furthermore, Meinke was expected to begin rehabilitation within the next two to three weeks.
Since then, the IBF featherweight champion has broken her silence on the matter. “I know many people were wondering why I suddenly disappeared from the public eye,” she said, per World Boxing News. “The truth is, I was enduring the worst pain of my life. It was a total shock to find out I needed immediate surgery—with just a 20% chance of a full recovery.” Meinke added she was in the middle of planning her future endeavors in the ring when she received the news.
“Right now, my only goal is to take it step by step, getting back to life, and hopefully, back into the ring,” she concluded. Since this update, it appears Nina Meinke has recovered significantly, as she shared a new post on Instagram mere hours ago.
Nina Meinke attended the Simon Zachenhuber vs. Paulinus Ndjolonimu fight
Since her last update about her health, Meinke shared a handful of pictures from the RINGSIDE ZONE boxing event on July 19, 2025, at the SNP Dome in Heidelberg, Germany. The event was headlined by a 10-round boxing match between Simon Zachenhuber and Paulinus Ndjolonimu, which ended with Zachenhuber securing a controversial majority decision victory.
The German boxer shared pictures with the likes of Ben Whittaker and others, while captioning the post, “Saturday’s @ringside_zone event was a huge success.” The 32-year-old also added, “The atmosphere was mega and there were good show facilities. Congratulations to @simon_zachenhuber for winning the fight. ”
While it’s too early to say, it appears Nina Meinke is recovering from her surgery quite well. Her presence in the boxing event makes that evident. However, only time will tell whether further complications persist. What do you make of this situation?
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