It was a night to forget for Tanzanian boxer Mwakinyo

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian professional boxer Hassan Mwakinyo didn't have the fight he expected against British boxer Liam Smith on Saturday night.

In the fourth round of the 12-round bout the referee had to stop the match after Mwakinyo took a knee for the second time and complained of an ankle injury.

The match was then decided in favour of Smith by technical knockout (TKO), much to the dismay of the crowd who were expecting a heavily contested fight.

Explaining what happened, in a post-match video a disappointed Mwakinyo said he lost his luggage which contained his boxing gear at the Amsterdam airport.

"I waited for three hours and was later told to wait another 5 hours in order to get my luggage, or alternatively it would be delivered to my hotel in two days' time," explained Mwakinyo.

He says the promoters then offered him new gear, which included boxing shoes that, according to him, gave him discomfort.

In round 2 of the match Mwakinyo almost twisted his ankle, marking the beginning of the end for a match that was followed by thousands across the globe, especially in Tanzania where the boxer is from, where the match started airing at midnight.

Mwakinyo said, according to boxing rules, if a fighter drops his mouth guard, it is a sign that something is wrong. So the referee is supposed to pull the other fighter away and ask the boxer what the problem is, and then do a countdown. "That is what I did. I dropped my mouth guard and when the referee came to me I told him the issue. He then asked if I can continue with the fight, I told yes," recounts Mwakinyo.

"I hate to lose, I'm a fighter so I hate losing. I'm sorry to everyone I disappointed back at home - to all my fans who were watching me and those who traveled to Liverpool," said a dejected Mwakinyo who was moved to tears.

But looks like there is still some hope for a rematch. According to the boxer, the promoters didn't understand the circumstances that led to the match being stopped, so they are working on a rematch.

Smith, on his part didn't seem to understand what had happened. "I saw that he almost slipped, but I looked around and there wasn't any water on the floor. So I don't really know what happened," Smith said during a brief post-match interview while still in the boxing ring.

This boxing match was a big opportunity for both boxers to show their might as they eye bigger bouts. For Smith, a former world champion it was an opportunity to make a great comeback and land other fierce opponents on the world stage.

For Mwakinyo, this marked the second time he got a chance to show his boxing prowess on an international level with thousands of people watching.

However, despite the disappointing end, the impact of what happened on September 3, 2022 in Liverpool to both boxers' careers remains to be seen.

After the match Mwakinyo's record now stands at 20 wins, and three defeats. While Smith's record improves to 32 wins, two defeats, one draw.