He won on points, but to Steve Collins his High Court victory was as sweet as any knock-out. After a judgment day which at times resembled the most unpredictable of title fights, he had emerged unscathed, leaving his ex-manager, Barry Hearn, to lick his wounds.
Like most great bouts, the opening rounds gave no indication of the eventual outcome. Hearn and his company, Matchroom Boxing Ltd, had sued Collins for alleged breach of contract. The trial - with its tears, recriminations and endless tales about the seamier side of boxing - lasted 25 days.
Steve Collins spent much of yesterday morning staring up at the ceiling. Wearing a grey suit, he looked as dapper as he had since the case began. His wife, Gemma, sat beside him, pale-faced and pensive.
Hearn, meanwhile, had opted for a dark suit. He entered the court chewing gum and oozing calm.
At first it appeared that the 68page judgment would not upset his mood. The judge held that the management agreement at the heart of the case had, as Hearn asserted, existed up to May 1996. The judge then threw out some of the breaches of contract alleged by Collins. One fundamental breach which did not stand up, he said, was Collins's assertion that Hearn had attempted to "nobble" the referee of the fight between Collins and Chris Eubank in 1995.
Then, just as it seemed that the retired world super middleweight champion was floundering on the ropes, Collins's comeback began.
Mr Justice O'Sullivan let fly a bruising blow to Hearn's hopes of victory by declaring that correspondence from the promoter to the WBO amounted to a fundamental breach of contract. A blistering upper-cut came with the judgment that a further breach occurred when Hearn tried to stop a rival promoter, Frank Warren, from making a purse bid in New York.
After that it only remained for the judge to state that Hearn was not entitled to any relief from the court. The seconds had been counted. Hearn was out.
A visibly-relieved Collins emerged from the court to a cheer. He was "delighted and relieved", he assured the large media posse. "I told the truth throughout and the judge acknowledged that." It had been the hardest fight of his life, but he had absolutely no animosity towards Barry Hearn. "He [Hearn] wanted to get paid for a job he never done."
But it was not just about money, Hearn claimed at his press conference. "It has to do with ethics and pride and professionalism", he said, adding that he was considering an appeal. "We made a sizeable £6 million contribution to Steve's career. It makes you think `Well, why am I investing in these young people if, when they do make the big time, we are not part of it'?
"I'm going home to lick my wounds. It's just another day at the races", he concluded. A day which could end up costing the philosophical promoter the best part of £1 million.