IT was the knockout proposal that left a Hampshire woman seeing stars.

Owner of Uppercut Barbers in Southampton, Carl Allain swapped close shaves for close quarters combat as he took part in a charity boxing match that ended with him proposing to his partner Sophie Marie Hannington after winning with a stunning knockout.

The 32-year-old had always wanted to step into the ring one day, and finally decided to take up boxing to raise money for Cancer Research UK this year.

But Carl knew as part of his bout, that he wanted to end the fight win or lose with a proposal.

The charity event in Southampton was organised by Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB).

In his eight-week training camp Carl found a new lease of life learning the art of throwing jabs, working on his footwork and mastering uppercuts.

He said: “For me personally it has always been on the bucket list as they say, this is one thing I wanted to do. It was just building up the courage to do it.”

"Alot of people who come into Uppercut say who is the boxer, before now I would say it was a more of a theme of the barbers, but now I can say me."

It takes bravery to step into the ring, and some would say it takes a braver man to propose on the same night, however Mr Allain felt it was the right time and he worked closely with the organisers to keep the proposal top secret.

Carl added: "Win or lose I was going to propose the only way I was not going to do it is if I was knocked out on a stretcher.

"There was a lot of pressure but what made it easier was me and a close friend had planned it out between ourselves and kept it a secret with the event organisers.

In his bout, he showed an impressive array of pugilistic talents, his footwork left his opponent dazed and he quickly settled scores with a powerful right hook that left his foe stunned, and the referee stepped in and stopped the contest.

He said the main thing was not the contest but the proposal, and he added: "She has been my rock for me and shown me a lot of support, this was me showing my commitment to her."

His partner Sophie Marie Hannington,24,who has been with him for 18 months said she was delighted but stunned by the proposal.

“It was a massive shock when he pulled me up into the ring.

“To see him win was one thing and for that to happen was just a surreal moment.”

Carl says he now plans to have another charity fight and then take up amateur boxing in the future.