Irish boxer Lee Reeves is in a "critical but stable" condition in hospital after being stretchered from the ring following a 10th-round knockout defeat to Gary Cully at the 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday night.

Reeves, a 31-year-old from Limerick, was contesting the vacant BUI Celtic super-lightweight title — a regional belt that sits on the lower rungs of the professional boxing ladder, often a stepping stone toward bigger opportunities. He was stopped in the 10th round by Cully and received oxygen at ringside before being carried out on a stretcher and transported to hospital with undisclosed injuries The Ring Magazine. A spokesperson for Queensberry Promotions, the event's promoter, confirmed his condition on Sunday and said more information would follow in the coming days BBC Sport.

"Their thoughts and prayers remain with Lee and his family," the spokesperson said.

Cully, the man who delivered the knockout, was quick to direct attention toward his opponent's wellbeing. He said his "prayers and thoughts" were with Reeves and credited the Limerick fighter for proving he can operate at a higher level than many expected. Queensberry promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments in a social media post, offering his own thoughts and prayers to Reeves and his family talkSPORT.

Reeves has won 16 of his 18 professional fights — a record that speaks to genuine ability even on nights when the result goes against him The Sun. The bout against Cully represented one of the toughest tests of his career, and he took the fight deep into the championship rounds before the stoppage.

The contest formed part of the undercard beneath a main event between Pearce O'Leary and Mark Chamberlain. That headline fight also ended in a 10th-round knockout, with O'Leary on the losing end. Two main-card fights ending in late stoppages on the same bill made for a dramatic, if sobering, evening at the 3Arena.

Boxing carries inherent risk every time two fighters step through the ropes. The sport's medical protocols — ringside oxygen, on-site paramedics, immediate hospital assessment — exist precisely for moments like Saturday night, when the consequences of a single punch extend far beyond the result on the scorecards. Reeves remains in hospital, and the boxing community across Ireland and beyond is waiting for further updates on his condition.