David Price suffers brutal knockout defeat by Alexander Povetkin to put heavyweight future in major doubt

Price got up off the canvas to score a knockdown of his own in the same round but a devastating combination all but ended the Liverpudlian's career

Alexander Povetkin inflicted a devastating knockout defeat on David Price (Reuters)

For a few stunning seconds at least, it looked as though David Price was on the verge of one of the greatest upsets in British boxing’s modern history.

Opposite him hurtled Alexander Povetkin, the former WBA champion of the world with a sterling professional record of 33-1, having walked into an ungodly left hook that sent him spinning backwards into the turnbuckle. Were it not for the bell that singled the end of the third round, Povetkin would surely have dropped to the canvas.

But when has professional sport ever guaranteed a fairytale finish? Ultimately Price — one of our most popular boxers who looked destined for the very top until two consecutive defeats to Tony Thompson in 2013 — was made to rue his missed opportunity. Just two rounds later, and the lights had gone out.

Price recovered from a third-round knockdown (Reuters) (Getty)

And what a brutal knockout it was. Price had already survived one, at the very start of that thrilling third round. A thunderous left hook immediately floored him, leaving him beating the canvas in frustration at momentarily dropping his guard.

He wasn't able to do that the second time around. Having survived an unsteady fourth round, Povetkin rocked Price with a right hand that looked to have rendered him unconscious. But just to make sure he landed a follow-up: a second left hook which dropped Price with sickening effectiveness, and saw the medics scrambling underneath the bottom rope and into the ring.

It was Povetkin’s eighth consecutive victory since his sole loss, to Wladimir Klitschko in 2013, and he now looks set to face Joshua at some point in the future as the WBA mandatory challenger. Meanwhile Price will be left to reflect on whether he wants to extend his career after a second heavy knockout blow in his last three fights.

Povetkin was sent sprawling to the corner by Price seconds after his own knockdown (Reuters)

It was a far better night for Ryan Burnett, who defended his WBA bantamweight title against mandatory challenger Yonfrez Parejo in difficult circumstances.

The 25-year-old had promised a career-best performance and started well enough, backing up his jab, repeatedly switching stances and keeping his opponent firmly on the back foot. But Burnett then hurt his right hand in the third – which he said after he believes is broken – before sustaining a nasty cut above his left eye.

Ryan Burnett lands a left hook on Yonfrez Parejo (Reuters)

With Burnett in some discomfort, Parejo — a wily former interim world titlist who had won his previous four fights — attempted to up the ante, but the defending champion was by far the superior competitor and boxed his way to a unanimous points victory.

“I was getting into it, but I think I broke my hand in the third,” the Northern Irishman said ringside. “I had to rely on my boxing skills to get me through the fight.”

Ryan Burnett claimed a unanimous victory despite suffering a suspected broken right hand (Reuters)

Burnett confirmed that he would be keen for a unification bout with fellow British world champion Jamie McDonnell, who holds the regular version of his WBA title. “Now I'm up for any challenge now after this,” he added.

Anthony Crolla’s long slog back to lightweight title contention continued with an important if not especially stylish victory over Mexico’s Edson Ramirez.

Anthony Crolla was bloodied but not broken as he defeated Edson Ramirez (Reuters)

An ugly clash of heads early into the fight left Crolla with a cut above his right eye, but the Mancunian’s superior boxing ability saw him grind out a unanimous points decision.

And there were important first titles for rising stars Josh Kelly and Joe Cordina. The former took a unanimous points decision against former Mexican world champion Carlos Molina in just his sixth professional fight, to claim the vacant WBA International welterweight title.

Anthony Crolla celebrates his victory over Edson Ramirez (Reuters)

Cardiff boy Cordina meanwhile dispatched Hakim Ben Ali in three to win the WBA international lightweight championship.