Conrad Cummings was stopped in the fifth round of his WBO European title fight with Danny Dignum on Saturday night.
The Coalisland middleweight was attempting to become a three-time European champion at York Hall.
But Cummings was rocked by a crunching left hand in the fifth round, with referee Howard Foster left with no option but to rush in and stop the contest.
It leaves the 28-year-old - whose record now stands at 17-4-1 - at a crossroads in his career following two defeats to Luke Keeler and this latest loss to Dignum at European level.
Essex boxer Dignum extends his unbeaten record of 12-0 - and he now has the WBO European middleweight title.
"I don't want to hurt a man or injure a man. This is a job," Dignum said after his brutal stoppage.
"I alway make sure my opponents are okay before I celebrate.
"Conrad was a true gentleman leading up to this fight, and he is a good fighter. I hope he is okay.
"It was a good shot that stopped it. I just hope Conrad is okay.
"I was in there with a hard opponent, so I upped my training by about 50 per cent for this fight. I did my diet and training properly, and everything else.
"The hard work paid off."
The cleaner work came from Dignum in a scrappy opening round.
Cummings tried to smother his opponent by getting in close but got caught with a couple of solid uppercuts as he rushed in.
Cummings was docked a point in the second round by referee Foster for repeated use of the elbow.
The Coalisland boxer was trying to force the pressure but Dignum kept his composure.
Cummings once again forced the pace in the third round, but Dignum was producing the cleaner work, two more uppercuts catching the eye.
The fourth round brought some joy for Cummings as he landed a couple of solid shots, but he also sustained a cut above his right eye following a clash of heads.
And it was all over in the fifth when a heavy shot had Cummings out on his feet.
Dignum landed with a left hook that had Cummings dazed and swaying in the middle of the ring, and referee Foster rushed in to save the Coalisland man before any further shots could land.
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