Ben Whittaker left on a wheelchair after five rounds of his fight with Liam Cameron.
Sheffield's Cameron walked Whittaker into the ropes near the end of the the fifth round and both fighters plunged over the top rope, after which Cameron landed on Whittaker.
Cameron, sluggishly, was up first, but Whittaker was hurt. He indicated that his leg was injured and said that he could not continue.
As a result of what the British Boxing Board of Control's Robert Smith deemed an accidental injury, the fight went to the scorecards after five rounds, where the tallies were 58-57, 57-58 and 58-58, thus resulting in a technical split draw.
It was another viral moment for Whittaker, but not the sort the showman from the West Midlands would have wanted. The 2020 Olympian, known for his extroverted skill set, had his hands full with Cameron early on but "The Surgeon" fell to 8-0-1 (5 KOs).
His fellow Briton Cameron, 23-6-1 (10 KOs), whose life spiralled after he was banned from the sport for using recreational drugs and he then struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse, had been holding his own.
The 33 year old, a former Commonwealth champion, was once a touted prospect. That was Whittaker’s mantle, pre-fight; one of the sport’s bright hopes who said he did not feel far off Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, the main event fighters in Riyadh.
Whittaker’s faster hands made the difference in the first round. He jabbed smartly and threw rights behind them. Cameron, who went the distance with Lyndon Arthur last time out, had a sturdy look about him and in the second he held his hands high and let Whittaker throw shots up and down that looked pretty but didn’t score beyond the arms and gloves.
The 27-year-old Whittaker landed a good right hand early in the third but Cameron had success with both hands in reply.
Cameron’s face was marking up but he buried a couple of lefts into Whittaker’s stomach. It was not all one way, as was again shown in the fifth, when they threw right hands and Whittaker's missed and Cameron's scored.
The referee Victor Loughlin gave Whittaker a verbal warning for straying low with his shots, and in front of a sparse crowd Whittaker was starting to look out of sorts and disorganised.
When Cameron then walked Whittaker to the ropes, they both lurched backwards over the top strand and to the canvas. They fell to other side and the fight was over. Cameron felt like he'd done enough to win. Whittaker was later taken to hospital.