An emotional Scott Quigg called time on his decorated ring career after defeat to Jono Carroll at the Manchester Arena.
Bury’s former world super-bantamweight champion was second best from the off against the Irishman as he returned to the ring after 17 months out.
Carroll dominated with his slicker work leading to Quigg’s trainer Joe Gallagher throwing in the towel in the 11th round to bring a halt to proceedings.
The 31-year-old then admitted it was now time to hang up the gloves having been chasing a second world title at super-featherweight.
“The thing is with me I don’t kid myself,” Quigg told the Bury Times in his dressing room post-fight.
“I’m a realist and I’m always real with people and sometimes I upset people because of how real I speak.
“But I’m the same with myself and I knew if I didn’t win tonight the gloves were getting hung up.
“Unfortunately I didn’t win so I’m not going to go back on my word.
“People will say ‘don’t make any hasty decisions’ but there’s nothing hasty about this.
“I want to become a world champion again and this is too hard of a sport just to stick around to just make the numbers up. It’s a dangerous sport.
“So if I’m not good enough to become world champion again then it’s time to hang them up and find something else to do which is going to be the hard thing.”
Quigg looked off the pace from the first bell with the Dubliner simply quicker to the punch.
It was one-way traffic before Gallagher stepped in in the penultimate round and despite the manner of defeat in his final fight the Bury star had no regrets
“I just knew it wasn’t there,” admitted Quigg, who retires having won 35 of 40 fights as a professional.
“In the changing rooms warming up I thought ‘meh, I’ll get there’.
“And then the fight started and sometimes it can take me two or three rounds to get going but after about four rounds I just couldn’t seem to get anything going.
“My timing was off, I was missing wildly, my distance was out and I realised it wasn’t there.
“If you’re playing football or cricket or tennis or whatever, if you’re timing is out you get away with it.
“But in boxing when you realise it’s not there then unfortunately you’re getting beaten up.
“Me three years ago, he wouldn’t have lasted and that’s taking nothing away from him, he boxed a great fight tonight, but a couple of years ago I’m levels above.
“Unfortunately you can’t stop father time.
“I’ve had a good career and I’d rather have been in there tonight and found out that it wasn’t there anymore rather than wondering whether I could have had one or two more fights.”
Quigg was initially upset at his corner’s decision to save him from further punishment but a short time later conceded the right call had been made.
“I know I wasn’t going to get hurt, I know how to look after myself, the towel didn’t need to come in, but Joe did the right thing,” he said.
“I was never going to win the fight. It was unnecessary for me to make myself look stupid so the fight ended the right way.
“I was glad I was back in Manchester with Joe and I bowed out in front of everyone who has supported me.”
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