Belfast boxer Eamonn Magee's career is in the balance after the WBU welterweight champion suffered a broken leg in a brutal gang beating.
The Ulsterman was taken to hospital with a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula after being dragged from his car and attacked in Belfast.
Magee was in line for a bout with former WBA welterweight champion Sharmba Mitchell, which promoter Frank Warren expected to seal this week, but now at the age of 32 his whole future in the ring is in doubt.
He had surgery yesterday and is expected to go under the knife again tomorrow, such is the extent of his injuries. The news has come as a shock to the whole camp and at a time when manager Mike Callahan is recovering in hospital from major surgery.
Coach John Breen said: "It's a sickening blow for Eamonn. He seemed to be on his way to some very big fights but now you just wonder what the future will hold.
"After winning the WBU title at short notice he really got his career going again and the fight with Mitchell would have been one of the biggest any Irishman has been involved with for many years.
"He has been the biggest attraction in Irish boxing for some time and for this to happen to him, particularly at this time of his career is such a blow."
Promoter Warren added: "I was hoping to clinch the Sharmba Mitchell fight for Eamonn today. It's a shocking blow for him and his family."