Darren Till's nose was left open during his TKO victory over Anthony Taylor in the main event of Misfits Boxing 20 on Saturday night.
Till's face was bloodied after an explosive right hand from Taylor, who stepped in late to replace Tommy Fury, landed in the fifth round.
Taylor had been planted on his back in the previous round after being hit from pillar to post at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, but briefly recovered.
As Till was unable to land a decisive blow, Taylor broke through his opponent's defense and made contact with his nose, which began to pour blood down his face.
However, the former UFC fighter quickly regained the advantage in his long-awaited boxing debut and belatedly landed lethal combinations in the sixth round.
An uppercut staggered Taylor and after Till pounced with several big punches to send him to the canvas, the referee stepped in to dismiss the fight.
“You have to give Anthony credit, he stepped in late and put up a good fight,” Till said.
'Let's not talk about that bastard who abandoned this fight. I've spent some time out of the ring but now I'm ready for this. Misfits now, let's see what awaits us.'
Taylor fell alarmingly to the floor after leaving the ring, but was able to get back to his feet before being taken to hospital for further tests.
Fury, whose last fight was a unanimous decision victory over KSI last October, decided to withdraw from the contest after Till threatened to kick him in the head.
The outspoken Till quickly responded to the recall, labeling him and his father John “shitholes” and insisting he didn't need to “throw kicks” to win.
Fury is yet to confirm his next fight and never found a replacement for the card.
He took to social media to reveal the fight would be cancelled, writing: “I can't believe I'm writing this but now I won't be fighting Darren Till on January 18, 2025.”
'For the simple reason that Darren has stated time and time again that he does not want to abide by the rules of professional boxing and that if he loses the fight he will resort to kicks and other stupid MMA tactics.
'I'm a professional boxer, I've been out of the ring for over a year and I wanted this to be a great BOXING fight for the fans. I've missed weeks in training camp. We are working hard to get a new opponent and date.
“I promise to get a better opponent and a better fight for you.”
More to follow.