Joe Ward's professional career is off to a nightmarish start.
The Mullingar boxer has suffered a TKO defeat on his pro debut after being forced to withdraw in the second round of his fight against Marco Delgado (6-1) due to a freak knee injury.
Ward has an impressive team behind him, and has been tipped for a big professional career after his remarkable exploits at amateur level.
The injury against Delgado looked similar at first glance to the one he sustained at the 2013 European Championships - where the Irish fighter dislocated his left kneecap - with his left knee appearing to blow out as he stepped backwards in round two.
The 25-year-old had to be helped back to his dressing room after the fight, and could be facing a lengthy spell on the injury table.
Ward was appearing on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin’s vacant IBF middleweight title clash with Sergiy Derevyanchenko at Madison Square Garden in New York.
More to follow...
Terrible night for Joe Ward. His professional debut ends with a 2nd round TKO, due to a serious knee injury, in his fight against Marco Delgado at Madison Square Garden tonight. Hoping the Westmeath man makes a swift recovery.https://t.co/LQGU4pIs1F pic.twitter.com/B3cDi5irG8 — Sportsfile (@sportsfile) October 5, 2019