Boxer Lee Reeves in hospital after being carried out of ring on stretcher following sickening KO loss to Gary Cully

BOXER Lee Reeves was in hospital overnight after being stretchered out of the ring following his dramatic knockout loss to Gary Cully. The Irish stars produced one of the fights of the year before Cully flattened Reeves with a huge left hand in the 10th and final round in Dublin. Gary Cully celebrates after being declared the winner following his dramatic 10th-round stoppage victory over Lee Reeves Credit: Sportsfile Cully lands a clean shot during a brutal back-and-forth contest in Dublin Credit: Sportsfile Reeves had been pushing the pace throughout a back-and-forth contest, with many believing he was ahead on the scorecards before the knockout finish. With just over two minutes remaining in the final round, Cully timed a crushing counter left as Reeves stepped forward. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! The Limerick fighter, 31, crashed to the canvas and remained down for several moments, prompting immediate concern from officials and medical staff. Reeves, who has won 16 of his 18 fights, was treated with oxygen at ringside before leaving the arena on a stretcher and being transported to hospital. Queensberry promoter Frank Warren wrote on social media afterwards: “All our thoughts and prayers are with Lee Reeves and his family at this time as he remains in hospital. “Everyone at Queensberry is thinking of him and we’re in constant contact with his team regarding his condition as we hope for positive news.” Fans watching inside the 3Arena and online quickly flooded social media with messages of support. One wrote: “Genuinely ridiculous fight.” Most read in Sport Cully takes a heavy shot from Reeves during their action-packed super-lightweight clash Credit: Sportsfile Reeves connects with a sharp jab as he enjoyed plenty of success before the dramatic final-round finish Credit: Sportsfile Another posted: “Prayers for Reeves who was on the canvas for a while after the shot landed.” A third added: “Thoughts are with Lee Reeves.” The stunning finish secured Cully the vacant BUI Celtic super-lightweight title and improved his professional record to 20-2. But the Naas fighter immediately turned his attention to his stricken opponent rather than celebrating. Cully said: “My prayers and thoughts are with Lee Reeves, hopefully he’s OK. “He came in there as a big underdog after fighting relatively at a lower level up until now, but he really showed that he can operate at a higher level. Huge credit to him.” Cully admitted he was forced to dig deeper than ever before during a gruelling contest that also saw him deducted a point in the fifth round after repeatedly losing his gumshield. He continued: “It doesn’t come into your mind when you’re in there because I’m a fighter, I’ve always been a fighter and that’s just what I do but I did have to dig deep in there.” “I had to show I had balls, I always knew I had balls. There was never a question in my heart or my head. “I really had to think in there and that shot that came in the tenth round was a greatly timed shot. I had to stay switched on and stay concentrated.” The main event saw hometown hero Pierce O’Leary suffer the first loss of his career and lose his IBO super-lightweight world title after being stopped in the tenth round by Portsmouth fighter Mark Chamberlain.