Evander Holyfield's boxing future hangs in the balance after he was stopped by James Toney in the ninth round of their heavyweight bout in Las Vegas last night.
Toney dominated the contest from start of the second round and was well ahead on points when the bout was stopped.
After being hurt several times, Holyfield (40) was finally knocked down by a flurry of blows midway through the ninth round, prompting the referee to bring a halt to the fight.
"Holyfield is a great fighter and I have a lot of respect for him but I was hungry ... I'm sorry I had to do that to him," Toney, the IBF cruiserweight champion, said.
Holyfield, 41 later this month, admitted he has a decision to make about his future and also added: "Toney did beat me up. He out-hustled me ... I didn't get off with my punches like I wanted. I was a step behind," he said.
Holyfield is a four-time former world heavyweight champion and is perhaps best known for two brutal contests against Mike Tyson, both of which he won. In the second bout, in June 1997, Tyson was disqualified after biting off part of Holyfield's ear.