Belfast's WBU welterweight champion Eamonn Magee suffered a gangland attack in Belfast leaving his career in the balance.
Magee was taken to hospital with a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula after being dragged from his car and attacked in the Blacks Road area of the city.
It's also believed he may have suffered a punctured lung, after his coach, John Breen, revealed the fighter was having difficulty breathing as he recovered in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. A spokesman for the hospital described Magee's condition as "stable".
Magee was in line for a major clash with former WBA welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell, which promoter Frank Warren expected to seal this week, but now, at the age of 32, his whole ring future is in doubt.
The WBU welterweight champion had surgery yesterday and is expected to go under the knife again tomorrow, such is the extent of his injuries.
Breen, said: "It's a sickening blow for Eamonn. He seemed to be on his way to some very big fights but now you just wonder what the future will hold."
After winning the WBU title at short notice he really got his career going again and the fight with Mitchell would have been one of the biggest any Irishman has been involved in for many years.
Filed by Johnny Proby
