Wayne McCullough has announced his retirement

Former world bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough quit on his stool and then announced his retirement after losing a fight in the Cayman Islands.

McCullough was returning to the ring after three years against American Juan Ruiz in a NABF featherweight contest.

Despite being ahead on two of three judges' scorecards after six rounds, he told his corner he could not go on.

The Belfast boxer, 38 next month, took the microphone and revealed this would be his swansong.

He said: "I think this is my last fight and I want to thank you all for coming. I am disappointed with the way things went but I just felt I could not go on."

McCullough had not fought since losing a WBC super bantamweight title fight against Oscar Larios in Las Vegas in 2005.

606: DEBATE Should McCullough have retired earlier?

His first professional bout was in 1993, seven months after winning an Olympic silver medal in Barcelona.

In July 1995 McCullough, who based himself in Las Vegas, claimed his world championship by beating WBC bantamweight champion Yasuei Yakushiji.

He defended the belt on two occasions against Johnny Bredahl and Jose Luis Bueno.

McCullough relinquished the title because of weight difficulties and then lost on points to the veteran Daniel Zaragoza in a WBC super bantamweight bout in 1997.

The Belfast man went the distance against Naseem Hamed and Erik Morales but was outpointed on both occasions.

McCullough was then sidelined after a British Boxing Board of Control scan found a small cyct in the arachnoid space between the brain and the skull.

After a two-year battle, however, he was back in the ring again and earned earned a bout with WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison but suffered a punishing defeat.

McCullough later lost two world title bouts against Oscar Larios.