Darren Barker's trainer Tony Sims believes it is unlikely the Barnet-born boxer will return to the ring after he suffered a dislocated hip in his IBF middleweight title defeat to Felix Sturm.

Barker has had a string of injuries during his career and has undergone surgery on his hips in the past.

His bout against Sturm lasted just two rounds. Barker went in as champion but struggled as the German started strongly.

Barker was clearly troubled by his hip in the first and second rounds. He was knocked down twice in the second before Sims threw in the towel.

Sims said: "It's a disaster - you'll probably never see him in the ring again.

"His hip went in the first round when he threw a right hand. He came back to the corner and said 'I think it's gone, it's hurting me'.

"In the second round he got clipped with a shot and - I don't know what's happened - it's completely gone on him.

"I was hoping it would just be a muscle injury but when he went down the next time I threw the towel in because I knew he couldn't move.

"He's had problems with his hips before and they're just not right. He'll have an X-ray at the hospital and we'll see what's happening from there."