Jake Massey
Amir Khan was left looking badly battered and bruised following his comprehensive beating at the hands of Kell Brook.
Brook - who has been after this fight for years - channelled his frustration to beat Khan in Manchester's AO Arena with a sixth-round stoppage last night (Saturday 19 February).
Brook shrugged off being vociferously jeered to the ring by a crowd largely in support of Bolton-born Khan and repeatedly left his foe on rubbery legs with countless punishing shots to the head.
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Khan refused to buckle and stayed upright throughout, but he absorbed some vicious blows and his face was heavily marked when referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to wave off the fight 51 seconds into the sixth round.
After the fight, the damage Brook had done to his fellow 35-year-old was plain to see.
Indeed, having been so emphatically beaten after a two-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport, Khan is now contemplating hanging up his gloves.
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"I'll sit down with my family but I think it could be," Khan said when asked whether this could be his last fight, "It's something to think about, definitely.
"I've always said I never want boxing to retire me, I want to retire from boxing and punishment like that sometimes in boxing, too much of that can be sometimes harmful in the future.
"I'll sit down with my wife and my family in the morning and see where we go from here."
Speaking after the bout, Brook said claiming the win felt 'so easy'.
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He said: "This fight has been a long time coming for me and I'm so happy I won’t get pestered by people saying 'when are you going to fight Amir Khan?'
"I've always known that was going to happen. I'm just frustrated that this fight didn't happen sooner but it's better late than never.
"I'll be remembered for this fight forever. No disrespect to Amir but it felt so easy in there, it was just a matter of time.
"I'm just happy that the chapter is closed now on Amir Khan."
Khan has had a storied career and will go down as one of Britain's finest fighters, having followed up his 2004 Olympic silver by unifying the light-welterweight division and taking on the world's best on the grandest stages.
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Fighting at the venue where he first won a world title in 2009, he only showed flashes of the form that saw him become a unified light-welterweight champion more than a decade ago.
Magnanimous in defeat, Khan said: "Credit goes to Kell, he put on a great performance. No excuses - the better man. He boxed out of his skin, I never expected that from him.
"The training camp I had for the fight was the best training camp. I don't want to have anyone blame (his coaching team) because they did everything they needed to. I put my hand up and take full fault. We didn't leave any stone unturned."