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Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy was forced to retire after three rounds of a boxing exhibition in Russia on Friday night after suffering an asthma attack.
Hardy, who earned a Pro Bowl selection during his five-year NFL career, ventured into the combat sports world not long after being released by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016.
He first enjoyed 13 MMA bouts, 10 of which came in the UFC, before switching over to boxing on the back of three straight stoppage defeats in the Octagon.
Yet following an initial run of three victories, the 37-year-old was subsequently knocked out on multiple occasions.
And on Friday night in the Russian city of Vologda, his boxing fortunes continued to spiral just three rounds into his exhibition against MMA star Evgeny Goncharov.
Hardy appeared to take a number of punches before collapsing into his corner at the end of the third round while struggling with asthma, meaning the fight was waved off.
Ex-NFL star Greg Hardy collapsed into his corner during a boxing exhibition in Russia on Friday
As he kneeled over in the corner in clear discomfort, the ex-Cowboys and Panthers player could be heard asking for an inhaler as his breathing issues got the better of him.
He was eventually able to sit down on a stall before regaining his composure as medics tended to him.
The worrying health scare marks yet another low moment for Hardy, who has been in trouble with the law on frequent occasions over the past decade.
As recently as June of this year the Pro Bowler was reportedly arrested in Texas for allegedly assaulting a family member. Hardy later branded such reports 'lies and rumors'.
Back in July 2014 he was convicted of assaulting and threatening a woman who contended the 6-foot-4, 275-pounder threw her in a bathtub and onto a sofa covered with guns before threatening to kill her.
He appealed, and prosecutors in North Carolina eventually dismissed domestic violence charges in February 2015, saying the accuser in the case couldn’t be found. The court heard the woman had reached a civil settlement with Hardy.
He was also arrested on a cocaine possession charge in Dallas in 2016.
Hardy played in the NFL from 2010 until 2015. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013, recording 13 sacks for the Panthers, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 Draft from Mississippi.
Hardy suffered an asthma attack during his fight against MMA star Evgeny Goncharov
The ex-Dallas Cowboys defensive end has encountered problems with the law over the years
Hardy followed up his NFL career by initially embarking on an MMA career in the UFC
After leaving Carolina in 2015, he signed a one-year, $11.3million deal with Dallas - the final team he played for in the NFL.
He was described as having 'unlimited potential' by Sports Illustrated in 2009 before injuries in his final college year saw his draft stock drop away.
In 2016, Hardy turned to mixed martial arts and won a contract from Dana White to fight in the UFC in 2018.
He fought 13 times, ending with a 7-5 record with one no contest.
