HE is hanging up his gloves after his boxing ring debut landed him in a Southampton hospital bed.

"It was my first and last fight," said a bruised and battered Paul Doswell, who is the manager of Eastleigh Football Club.

As reported in yesterday's Daily Echo, 38-year-old Paul came off worse in a gruelling boxing match which was the climax to a charity evening at Southampton's luxury De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel.

Paul - billed as Eastleigh FC's "Deadly Dossie" - was up against "Ginger Destroyer" Peter Robertson, a director of Condor Office Solutions.

Yesterday Paul, sporting two black eyes, relived his ordeal, which left him unconscious for between 15 and 20 minutes.

Things started to go dramatically wrong soon after the bell rang for the first of the contest's three rounds.

Paul, who went the distance, said: "In the first round I had a fractured eye socket and in the second my nose was broken. I also had damage to the nerves in my face and damaged gums.

"I collapsed at the end of the last round and was unconscious for between 15 and 20 minutes.

"I was taken to hospital, where I had a brain scan and X-rays and was kept under observation."

He discharged himself the next day because he was keen to get home and take his place in the stand at Eastleigh's FA Trophy first-round clash with St Albans City.

Paul has bravely taken his defeat on the chin and said: "It was a fair fight and the evening raised about £15,000 for charity.

"It is just unfortunate the way it panned out but I do not blame Peter. In fact we are planning to go out for a drink and a meal."

Still reeling from his defeat in the ring, Paul watched his football team go out of the Cup in a 2- 1 defeat.

Two knockouts in one weekend is something that Paul will want to forget.