In 1986, San Francisco 49ers legend Ronnie Lott amputated part of his pinky finger so he could continue with his NFL career instead of sitting out part of the season due to reconstructive surgery. The story quickly became legendary in sports as a sign of toughness and determination. And apparently Anthony Smith almost joined the club.
Smith has not fought since his comeback win over Alexander Gustafsson last June and much of that is due to an ongoing struggle to recover from a hand break. Speaking with Ariel Helwani yesterday, Smith detailed how he had two surgeries on his hand to repair a break he suffered in the Gustaffson bout but that even the surgeries were proving ineffective.