In one of the most brutal domestic fights ever seen, Carl Froch successfully defended his IBF and WBA super-middleweight belts on Saturday night with a controversial TKO over George Groves in the ninth round.

The 36-year-old immediately offered Groves a rematch, but insisted referee Howard Foster was right to call an end to the bout.

And he was less certain in a press conference yesterday, suggesting he had "maybe two" big fights left in him.

The challenger managed to win over the sell-out Manchester crowd - they booed him on the way in but rose to cheer and applaud him at the end.

Groves boasted to Froch and the world before the fight that he wouldn't avoid the champion's power but would meet him head-on in the centre of the ring.

And from the opening bell the 25-year-old did just that - shocking the veteran fighter with his accuracy, handspeed and power as he proceeded to win exchange after exchange with a razor-sharp jab and a right hand that soon began to find the mark.

When he dropped Froch towards the end of the first round the crowd fell silent, stunned by what their eyes were telling them but their brains refused to believe.

Froch confirmed his warrior status by getting up and continuing, though he looked out on his feet during the next four rounds.

It wasn't until the eighth that he appeared to properly regain his composure and begin hurting Groves for the first time in the fight.

It really was pulsating stuff, which is why when referee Foster decided to stop the fight the crowd, Groves's corner, and Groves himself were up in arms.

"He caught me with a good shot but that should never have been a stoppage," said the Londoner as he soaked up the crowd's appreciation.

"I had it taken away from me tonight. I'll come back better and stronger, and I hope I get that chance."