Meghan Markle's estranged brother won a celebrity boxing match last night - and dedicated the triumph to his sister and nephew in a desperate hope to reconcile.
Thomas 'The Duke' Markle Jr only won the contest after his scheduled opponent didn’t turn up and the stand-in, Tim Kudgis, was disqualified for hitting Markle below the belt.
But speaking moments after the triumph at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the 53-year-old gushed about his estranged sister.
"Meghan remember you have a brother and a family in the United States. I am looking forward to seeing you again someday," he said.
He told DailyMailTV that he hopes to reunite with Meghan and meet Archie before his first birthday.
The 6' 3" Markle weighed in at 261lb while Kudgis, 34, tipped the scales at 222lb last night.
Markle was declared the winner midway through the second round when Kudgis hit him in the groin area on two occasions.
"'I’m new to the ring. I think I did pretty good for a 53-year old. I was having problems with my head gear that restricted my breathing, but I’m new to this. I’ll be ready for the next one," Markle said.
Henry ‘Nacho’ Laun, a childhood friend of actor Mark Wahlberg, was supposed to face Markle but the night before the fight the promoter Damon Feldman replaced him.
Mr Feldman told DailyMailTV Markle wanted to quit the boxing match after the first round because he was winded and felt like he couldn’t go on.
But the promoter added that "Markle had to be coaxed to continue with the fight, he was gassed, he wasn’t in shape to fight."
Markle, who is a window fitter, was not invited to Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding. He has not seen his sibling for around eight years.
And, weeks before the wedding, the dad-to-two called his half-sister a "phony" who had "turned into a different person" and "forgotten her roots and her family" since becoming famous.
