Ireland's Ryan Burnett has lost hold of his WBA world-bantamweight belt in a World Boxing Super Series quarter-final clash against the vastly experienced Nonito Donaire.
Incredibly, the Irish boxer was forced to retire on his stool after suffering an injury during the fourth round of tonight's bout. Not sustained during a clash with Donaire, it would appear that an errant punch thrown by Ryan Burnett resulted in a freak back injury.
Visibly distressed from the moment he had to take a knee in the centre of the ring, Burnett managed to survive the remainder of the round.
However, once back to his stool, it was quickly relayed to the officials by Burnett's coach Adam Booth that he could no longer continue. It truly was a terribly cruel and unusual end to Burnett's perfect professional record.
In a beautiful show of sportsmanship, Donaire quickly rushed to Burnett's corner and shared his condolences with Burnett and his corner.
Looking disappointed that such a captivating bout had been cut short in this cruel manner, the four-weight world champion extended further condolences in his post-fight interview.
