Anthony Taylor after being knocked down by Darren Till. (Image: Getty)
There were concerning scenes at the latest Misfits Boxing event in Manchester on Saturday night as Anthony Taylor collapsed after being stopped by fellow MMA fighter Darren Till.
The American only of , but was no match for Till who dominated from the outset.
In his first boxing bout, the Liverpudlian looked superior from the bell, showing impressive hand speed and comfortably countering Taylor’s aggressive approach.
And having been threatening KO from the off, Till secured the stoppage in the sixth round.
But what followed left those who viewed the incident horrified. Taylor, who went into a bout with a 7-4 record in boxing, collapsed after the post-fight interviews. He was later taken from the Co-Op Arena in a wheelchair.
Many assumed that Taylor was then taken to hospital for tests. However, according to Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani, after being administered oxygen and deemed stable he was cleared to return to his accommodation.
Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor later confirmed that Taylor had regained consciousness. He too said that Taylor hadn’t needed a hospital visit, having been “alert and fine” after coming around in the locker room.
Till dominated the fight from the opening bell. (Image: Getty)
Anthony Taylor collapsed as he left the ring following his KO loss to Darren Till.Per Misfits co-founder Mams Taylor, medics gave him oxygen, he regained consciousness. He’s in the locker room now “alert and fine.”Medics have cleared him to leave on his own. No hospital.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
And he later released a video on social media, talking clearly as he vowed to bounce back from his harrowing defeat. “It’s all good, I took the L (loss) like a mother f****r,” he said.
“I’ll be back. I’m all good. Thank you all for the love and support, and thank you to everybody who is also making fun of me I don’t give a f**k. I deserve it. But at the end of the day, I’ll be f***king back.”
‘Pretty Boy’, who has a 7-5 professional record in MMA but has not fought since August 2019, also took aim at Fury. On X, he wrote: “Now we know why Tommy Fury pulled out,” complete with two laughing emojis.
The main event of Misfits Boxing 20 was only arranged at short notice after the Manchester man pulled out. The younger brother of former heavyweight champion claimed he was unhappy with Till’s claim he would resort to “MMA tactics” if he was losing the fight.
Till later denied he was not being serious with his warning, claiming it was simply a marketing tactic. And it wasn’t until December 29 that it was confirmed Taylor had stepped in as a replacement.