Joe Ward's professional boxing debut ended in bitter disappointment as he was forced to retire with a knee injury early in the bout at Madison Square Garden.
Ward lay wincing on the canvas in the second round after taking an awkward step backwards to dodge a punch from his opponent Marco Delgado.
In the process he incurred an injury to his left knee and the medical team was called on to examine the fighter.
As Ward could not continue, the referee awarded the fight to his opponent on a technical knockout.
The 25-year old fighter turned pro back in August, signing with promoter Lou Di Bella. The move surprised some a year out from the Olympics.
Now, his opening berth in the pro ranks has got off to a nightmare start.
The Moate boxer has suffered a serious knee injury before, being forced to retire in his last-16 bout at the 2013 European Amateur Championships, a competition he otherwise ruled at light heavyweight level throughout the decade.
