Boxer Lee Gibbons has thrown his boxing boots in the bin, claiming they cost him in the biggest fight of his life.

The 26-year-old lightweight from Mapplewell felt he was doing well against heavy favourite Ohara 'Two Tanks' Davies at the O2 Arena in London when the sole of his footwear ripped open. He looked down to see what had happened when a shot behind the ear floored him and scrambled his senses. The fight was stopped after 79 seconds.

Gibbons said: "Everything was going how I thought it would until I switched to orthodox and the sole of my left boot rolled back and completely came off to the heel. It was a good shot he caught me with and I'm not making excuses but I wasn't paying attention because of my boot.

"The fight had been going exactly how I thought it would. It looks bad that I was knocked out in the first round but I had been doing well. I slung the boots straight in the bin when I got back to the dressing room."

Gibbons was given the maximum 45- day suspension by medics at the show and had to be treated for burst blood vessels in his ear. "I never saw the shot and had to ask later on where it landed," he added. "My knee has also swollen a bit so I'm going to have a bit of time off training."

Davies has now won all five of his fights as a professional while Gibbons has lost three and won three of his six bouts. Gibbons plans to box on the next Metrodome show – headlined by his friend Ben Wager from Monk Bretton.

Wager, 24, will fight Kevin Hooper from Grimsby in an English lightweight title eliminator on March 21.