Lucas Browne's bid to thrust himself back into the world heavyweight title mix ended abruptly with a brutal knockout at the hands of Britain's Dillian Whyte in London.
The 38-year-old Australian was aiming to become the No.1 contender for the WBC belt held by American Deontay Wilder, but Browne was dispatched with a devastating left hand 37 seconds into the sixth round which left him flat out and needing medical treatment.
Having landed heavily on his face there was real concern as doctors rushed into the ring and put him on oxygen.
After an agonising five minutes, Browne finally signalled he was OK before rising to his feet and walking to the side of the ring before taken away for further treatment.
Browne was conscious as he was taken out of the arena on a stretcher and it has since emerged he has been taken to hospital for observation.
He had started tentatively and attempted to land some trademark clubbing right hand hooks in the opening round before he was clipped with a swiping hook from Whyte which cut his left eye badly early in the second.
With his vision blurred by blood streaming down his face, Browne struggled to contain 28-year-old Whyte's jab, although he bravely kept coming forward hoping to try and land his own telling blow.
But in the sixth round his dream was over as Whyte's crisp left hand sent him to the canvas, leaving referee Ian John Lewis no option but to to immediately stop the fight and call in doctors and support staff.
The defeat was Browne's first loss in 26 professional fights.
"Just to let everyone know @lucasBrowne is ok.waiting for a scan at the moment but sitting up and talking. So hoping everything is ok," Bowne's promoter Ricky Hatton wrote on Twitter.
In the press conference afterwards, promoter Eddie Hearn seemed confident Browne should be OK.
"He's on his way to hospital but we believe he's fine, although obviously it was a very heavy knockout for Lucas," he said.
While the pre-fight build-up had been dominated by a seething animosity between the two fighters, Whyte offered his own support to his stricken opponent.
"Hopefully he's OK, he showed up and tried, I'll check up on him later," he said.
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