BOXER Ekow Essuman’s face was left a bloody mess after being cut open by Jack Catterall.
The welterweight scrap on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn undercard was only a couple of rounds in when a huge cut opened on Essuman’s nose.
It was unclear whether it was opened up by a punch or an accidental clash of heads.
And things got even worse for the 36-year-old when he was floored by a smart combo from Catterall in the fourth round.
Essuman did beat the referee’s count and managed to see out the last 15 seconds before slumping onto his stool.
Despite the huge cut being half-way down Essuman’s nose, the amount of blood seemed to affecting his vision such was the spread.
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But in round seven the claret was spilling again – this time from Catterall’s right eye.
It appeared to come from a head-clash, with the Chorley man seeing his shoulders covered in red.
Catterall had started strongly and built up a healthy lead on the scorecards with his disciplined style catching the eye.
However Essuman is known as The Engine for a reason, and as the bout edged over the half-way point, he started to find he feet.
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Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2 - all the info
TIME for round two of this generation's family feud!
Conor Benn go punch-for-punch once again as both rivals look to make their fathers proud.
The blockbuster rematch takes place at the 62,000-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium TONIGHT.
Eubank Jr narrowly outpointed his bitter foe after 12 brutal rounds in April to secure the bragging rights in what was certainly a Fight of the Year contender.
And the two British superstars will dance once more as Eubank Jr aims to do the double while Benn seeks revenge after suffering a first career loss.
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But that all came to a crushing and brutal halt in round 11 when Essuman was knocked out of the ring by some heavy blows.
Referee John Latham had to hesitation in waving the fight off as paramedics were instantly called to attend Essuman.
But the veteran thankfully made it onto his stool and was able to get to his feet to embrace his old sparring pal Catterall.
He was also left with another brutal war-wound with a golf-ball sized lump slamming his eye shut.
Both men went into the Tottenham Hotspur stadium scrap with big wins over former undisputed champ Josh Taylor.
Catterall of course righted what many saw as a wrong when he secured victory in their second fight after the first ended in a controversial draw.
Essuman, meanwhile, beat Taylor last time out, effectively sending the Scot into retirement.
Catterall vs Essuman formed the chief support for Eubank Jr‘s eagerly anticipated rematch against Benn.
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Eubank will be looking for repeat after securing a unanimous points win earlier this year.
But a calmer and more disciplined Benn is supremely confident and says he will send his bitter rival into retirement.
