Dereck Chisora's victory over Malik Scott was the turning point for his career claims his trainer Don Charles, as the Finchley boxer prepares for his Copper Box return next month.
Chisora defeated the previously unbeaten Philadelphia fighter at Wembley Arena in July before stopping German heavyweight Edmund Gerber at the former Olympic venue last month to claim the vacant European title.
Ahead of Chisora's first title defence against Matteo Modugno, Charles insisted it would have been difficult for the Zimbabwe-born boxer to resurrect his career had he not emerged victorious from the Scott bout.
"Losing has never been an option but the Malik Scott fight really was a must-win fight," he said. "Dereck was at the point of his career where he could not afford to lose and we agreed he was never going to outbox him, because nobody outboxes Malik Scott he is very slick for a heavyweight and he moves like a middleweight.
"Every time I stepped between the ropes during the fight I kept saying to him we need the stoppage, we need this Dereck for your career, for your future, because god forbid had we lost that fight it would have been a long hard road back."
Charles, who also trains Southern Area heavyweight champion Ian Lewison and super-middleweight prospect Daley Ojuederie, revealed he had never previously asked Chisora to go out and stop an opponent.
"I have never in Dereck's professional career asked him to go in and knock someone out - you don't really do that - well I certainly don't because I don't want to put him under any unnecessary pressure," Charles said.
"When we fight if the knockout presents itself Dereck doesn't need me to tell him to take the guy out but this was the first time in his professional career where there was no plan B.
"I said to him we need to stop this guy whether it's in the first round or the tenth round but if this guy remains standing at the end he wins and we lose because he'll outbox you.
"I got it into his head into his mindset during the eight-week pre-fight programme that he needed to stop the guy to win. We needed a stoppage and by the grace of god we did that."
Charles added: "I'm not a gambling man but that fight was a massive massive gamble. It was risky going into a fight of that magnitude with a gameplan like that. It was a massive ask but he did it."
