Ricky Burns retained his WBO super-featherweight title with a bizarre first-round stoppage win over Nicky Cook in Liverpool.
Early finish as challenger is stretchered out with back injury
Ricky Burns retained his WBO super-featherweight title with a bizarre first-round stoppage victory against former champion Nicky Cook in Liverpool on Saturday night.
Scotsman Burns, from Coatbridge, was making the third defence of his belt before setting his sights on bigger unification fights in the near future.
He ensured he remains on course for those higher-profile showdowns but this win at the Echo Arena came in strange circumstances as he floored Cook three times, the first from a body-head right-handed double which seemed to injure the Englishman before further volleys put him down again and prompted his corner to retire their man.
Cook had boxed just once since losing this title via brutal knockout against Roman Martinez in 2009. While his warm-up win over Youssef Al Hamidi in May hardly showed the form to merit a world title tilt, Burns in contrast is on a hot streak since winning the belt from Martinez last year.
That winning run was expected to continue against Dagenham's Cook tonight and so it proved.
Burns, 28, was 31-2 with eight early wins heading into the bout while Cook was 30-2 (16KOs).
Aggressive intent
Burns is no power puncher but started with aggressive intent, flooring his man in the opening seconds.
He threw a big winging right hand which landed on Cook's back before the follow-up blow to the head forced the challenger down.
Cook got to his feet quickly as referee Phil Edwards counted but was clearly in discomfort and complaining about his back.
Burns had the bit between his teeth and waded in, landing a glancing blow which caught Cook and put him down again.
Once more Cook got to his feet but was clearly struggling.
Burns kept up the pressure and kept landing fierce rights to the body and when Cook caved in again, his corner threw the towel in to end it after one minute and 33 seconds.
The distraught Cook was taken out of the ring on a stretcher, and taken to hospital with a suspected spinal injury.
Disappointed
Afterwards a clearly disappointed Burns told
Sky Sports HD 1: "I was just watching it back on the replay on the big screen. When I landed the first shot I didn't think it was a good body shot.
"I hope he's alright, being stretchered out and all that. But I'm a wee bit disappointed, all the training and for everybody who came down tonight wanting to see a good fight. Just a wee bit disappointed.
"I can't really say much about that (Cook's injury). Just really sorry to everybody that's travelled down here. Just wish I could have been out there and got more rounds in.
"We all know the fight I want. I would love to fight for that Ring magazine belt. Mzonke Fana is number one, I'm number two. Hopefully we can get that fight sorted."
Meanwhile promoter Frank Warren said: "Nicky was up to it physically - he passed all his medicals. He's been training for the fight, he trained for his last fight. It's a freak thing, I've never seen anything like it. Sometimes things happen. No-one wants it to happen. Now we've got to look to the future and we want to get some unification fights for him (Burns)."
