WATCH: Bad news for Paddy Barnes as world champ Zou Shiming knocked out

The WBO flyweight title changed hands yesterday in shock circumstances.

#7-ranked Japanese challenger Sho Kimura, a 10/1 underdog, knocked out Chinese champ Zou Shiming in the eleventh round of their title clash in Shanghai.

Double Olympic gold medalist Shiming [9(2)-2(1)] was leading on the cards (97:93, 96:94, 94:96) but crashed out exhausted in the eleventh, dropping his hands and being bludgeoned to the canvas by the unheralded Japanese fighter.

Kimura [15(8)-1(1)-2] becomes his country’s eleventh reigning world champ.

36 year old Shiming, in tears, would say in the ring afterwards that “this might be my last fight.”

It was a disastrous start to Shiming’s new promotional company – ‘Zouxuan Sports.’ Following his title win over Prasitsak Phaprom, the Asian ran this card in his home country without promoter Top Rank or trainer Freddie Roach.

Sho Kimura knocks out Zou Shiming to win the WBO flyweight title. Kimura is now Japan’s 11th current world champion #boxing pic.twitter.com/fnDxqH1Peq

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) July 28, 2017

It was also bad news for Ireland’s Paddy Barnes [3(0)-0]. The Belfast 112lber twice lost to Shiming in Olympic semi finals and entered the pro ranks with the goal of a big-money rematch.

The Cliftonville boxer entered the WBO rankings at #14 this month following his WBO European title win against Silvio Olteanu, and looks set to return to the ring in Britain around October time.

Barnes saw the funny side however, and sent the following message to Top Rank

@trboxing let me know when Zou Shiming needs an easy comeback 👍

— Paddy Barnes (@paddyb_ireland) July 28, 2017