Richard Holliday Reveals That He Is Battling Cancer

Richard Holliday is one of the top stars MLW has to offer. For years, he has been making a huge name for himself on the independent scene. At MLW, he won the Tag Team Titles one time with MJF and was also the IWA Caribbean Heavyweight Champion. Despite a promising career, he revealed recently that his health is a cause for concern.

Richard Holliday recently spoke to Sports Illustrated, where he revealed that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“It’s been a whirlwind. You never expect this will happen to you. I took such pride in my health, so to get news like this was quite shocking.”

He continued to say that plans for his push were halted due to his health condition. He also disclosed how he struggled to get through everyday.

“When I wrestled Hammer in June, I was taking Dayquil to try to get through every day. I kept pushing and pushing, but I just felt off. At that point, I had just got home from California. The whole time I was there, I was freezing. I was pale white when I left after a month,” said Richard Holliday.

While Richard Holliday first thought he had the stomach bug, his condition deteriorated after his match with Hammerstone. He went to the emergency room where it was revealed to him that his iron and haemoglobin levels were very low.

“I was taking iron pills to try to counter that, but my levels kept dropping,” Holliday said. “They checked if I had internal bleeding, which I didn’t, and then they ran a litany of tests and a scan of my body for a possible case of lymphoma in September. Those tests confirmed it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

Richard Holliday remembers sitting in a sterile room in St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, CT when the doctor informed him that he had cancer. Holliday describes the moment as earth-shattering and devastating.

“It was earth-shattering, devastating,” Holliday said. “But I knew right then I needed to change my mindset. The mind powers the body, so I needed to stay positive. I was reassured by my doctor that I could beat this, and I believe I am going to beat this.”

Richard Holliday immediately requested to start chemotherapy despite having stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He is already halfway through his chemotherapy.

“My plan is not to lose to lymphoma; my plan is to inspire people,” he said. “I’m going to come out of this stronger, and I’m going to let people know they can beat it, too.”

Richard Holliday then stated that he is constantly thinking about his in-ring return. He said that he thinks about his return every single day.

“For a little while at first, I was so busy with treatments, I felt so removed from wrestling,” Holliday says. “It was even tough to watch, knowing it was ripped away from me. Now I can’t stop thinking about my return.

Outside of my family, wrestling is the most important thing in my life. I was so upset it was taken from me. Now I’m so excited for the future.

“I think about my return every single day,” Holliday says. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But this is a process. I know there are more steps after chemotherapy. Mentally, right now, I am ready. Physically, I know it’s going to take some time. But I will be back,” said Richard Holliday

Richard Holliday wrestled his last match against MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone at MLW Battle Riot IV on June 23. We hope that Richard Holliday is able to beat lymphoma and return to the ring soon. Stay tuned to Ringside News as we keep you updated on this story as it develops.

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