Billy Joe Saunders has been accused of 'quitting on the stool' against Canelo Alvarez by fight fans.
His team went to work to reduce the swelling, though trainer Mark Tibbs called the world title unification bout off - with Saunders unable to see through his damaged eye.
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Tibbs' compassionate stoppage was applauded by critics, but some fans on social media were less forgiving as they suggested Saunders quit in between round eight and nine.
One Twitter user wrote: "I thought billy joe came with a good game plan but damn he quit."
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A second tweeted: "Wowwwwww for Billy Joe Saunders to talk so much junk before the fight, showboat during the fight & then QUIT??!!? After the undercard had a premature stoppage??"
A third added: "I had it 4-4, at the time of stoppage......Billy Joe Saunders QUIT."
Saunders' damning pre-fight comments about Daniel Dubois, who suffered a similar eye injury against Joe Joyce last year, came back to haunt him following his decision to 'quit' against Canelo.
"Fighters get in that ring and we know what's on the line," he said.
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"Every fighter needs to understand and the fans need to understand that. In the past, we've seen a lot of tragedies in boxing, deaths in the ring.
"Before I go on one knee I'd like to go out on my back with my pulse stopped.
"Everyone has their own thought process in the ring and what went on in the ring I don't know. He obviously felt he could not continue.
"You look at the greats, the eyes, the face, we get through that. That's the path in life we choose for a living. We punch people in the face and get punched in the face.
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"If my two eye sockets were broken, my jaw was broken, my teeth were out, my nose was smashed, my brain was beaten, I was not stopping until I was knocked out or worse.
"I don't agree with a man taking the knee and letting the ref count him out."
Featured Image Credit: PA/DAZNTopics: Boxing News, Boxing, Fight News, Canelo Alvarez
