Chris Billam-Smith moved himself back into world title contention after a dramatic stoppage victory over Ryan Rozicki in a bruising cruiserweight clash in Bournemouth.
The hometown hero delivered an impressive display in front of a packed Bournemouth International Centre, although was made to battle hard against an opponent who had seen 20 of his previous 21 victories come via knockout.
Rozicki suffered a cut to his left eye during a gruelling opening round before being deducted a point in the second for throwing his head at his opponent, with Billam-Smith landing a huge right to wobble the Canadian during the third round.
Momentum switched between both men during a fight-of-the-year contender, with Billam-Smith securing victory when Rozicki was pulled out of the contest by his corner - due to his injuries - following the conclusion of the seventh round.
Neither spoke to the media post-fight and both were taken to hospital as a precaution after a gruelling contest, the hardest win of Billam-Smith's career and just Rozicki's second professional loss.
Billam-Smith posted on social media once at the hospital, saying: "I have been taken to hospital but it is very precautionary.
"I am absolutely fine, they are just going to do some tests but all is well.
"Thank you for your support tonight. Another unbelievable night.
"Love you all, thank you so much, and see you all soon."
Rozicki, meanwhile, was discharged from hospital on Sunday morning and returned to his hotel to rest.
Billam-Smith received a warm welcome ahead of his first fight in Bournemouth since 2023, although was quickly made aware of the challenge ahead when Rozicki immediately attacked.
Both traded power punches during a topsy-turvy first round that left Rozicki cut, with the knockout specialist continuing to put pressure on the home favourite with two big hooks and aggressive intent.
Billam-Smith countered back and appeared to leave his opponent in danger in the third round, with Rozicki responding to two big uppercuts on the chin later in the round to pile pressure back on his opponent.
Blood was coming from both eyes as Rozicki continued to throw punches at full power, forcing Billam-Smith into defence at various points during the fourth and fifth rounds, leaving the contest delicately poised heading into the second half of the fight.
Rozicki unleashed huge shots to the head and body of the Bournemouth boxer in the sixth before Billam-Smith charged back with a huge multi-punch combination, bringing the crowd to their feet and moving the contest back towards him.
A late burst from Billam-Smith in the closing stages of the seventh round was the final straw for Rozicki, who appeared determined to continue but was retired by his corner at the conclusion of the round.
"I've never seen a puncher like that guy in my life," Shane McGuigan, Billam-Smith's coach, told Your Site. "Chris [Billam-Smith] has been in my gym nine years, but the power that guy possesses, oh my goodness.
"He's wide open, throwing bombs when he's getting caught with peach shots. As a friend and coach, it was horrible to sit there and watch. At the same time, he [Billam-Smith] did exactly what he had to do.
"He was patient, he was tired in there, he's been out of the ring a long time, there was certainly ring rust there. But he outlasted an extremely tough man."
Dana White, who heads up Zuffa Boxing, praised Billam-Smith for his toughness in the fight and likened the bout to a Rocky movie.
For White, Billam-Smith's ability to take big shots from a fighter who is renowned for knockouts was impressive.
"The first time I ever met Rozicki I was like 'Jesus, this guy's like the meanest Canadian I think I've ever met'! What a hell of a fight. An incredible night from top to bottom, but the main event was like a Rocky movie," White said.
"We thought it was going to be a great fight. We know how talented Billam-Smith is and we knew going in how tough and mean Rozicki was, so it had all the makings of a great fight.
"In that sixth round, in particular, Billam-Smith seemed to land an awful lot of blows to Rozicki.
"Billam-Smith is not just tough, he is super talented.
"A talented fighter, a great fighter and a tough kid in his own right. He took some big shots. Rozicki is a knockout artist and he took some big shots from him too."
The co-main event of Zuffa Boxing's show saw Cheavon Clarke recover from being knocked down twice in the fourth round to deliver a sensational seventh-round stoppage of Jack Massey
Clarke took the full eight-count after being struck by Massey's powerful right hand and then fell to the canvas again a minute later in an absorbing fourth, then rallied after surviving the rest of the round.
Massey was floored by his opponent with a huge right hand in the seventh, with a further flurry of Clarke punches seeing the referee stop the fight with 1:24 of the round remaining and completing a remarkable comeback victory.
Lee Cutler had his middleweight contest against Aaron Sutton cut short when a powerful right hand left his opponent with a dislocated shoulder, resulting in a third-round TKO victory, while Stephen McKenna ended his 539-day absence from the ring with a sensational first-round stoppage against Casey James Streeter.
McKenna (16-1) needed just 64 seconds to despatch Streeter and claim the 15th knockout win of his career, sending the American to the canvas with a huge left hook before seeing the fight stopped by the referee after a series of heavy shots.
Scotland's Sam Hickey (5-0) continued his perfect professional record with a brutal knockout against Todd Tompkins, while Alex MacMillan (4-0) - a gym-mate of Billam-Smith and Cutler - knocked down fellow Englishman Leo Fanthome three times during a second-round stoppage.
Leon Hughes (5-0) dominated a one-sided contest against Mario Vergiev before the referee stepped in after 52 seconds of the third round, while England's Harvey Dykes suffered the first defeat of his professional career after Ivan Dychko (16-1) edged to victory via split decision.
Further Zuffa Boxing shows are scheduled in Las Vegas on June 28 and New York on July 26 ahead of their first Irish show in Dublin on August 8, with all three live and exclusive in the UK and Ireland on Your Site.
Zuffa Boxing 08 in Las Vegas includes Edwin De Los Santos facing Jose 'Rayo' Valenzuela in a 10-round rematch of their memorable 2022 fight-of-the-year contender, while the line-up for the New York show has yet to be announced. or .
