Matthew Macklin says his most recent fight victory was the moment that he realised he wanted to call it a day.

The Birmingham-born Irish boxer announced his retirement on Thursday, having last fought - and won in 12 rounds - against Brian Rose as recently as April.

But as he told Off The Ball tonight, that was the fight that paved the way for his decision.

"It wasn't a rash decision. I took my time. But halfway through the fight with Brian Rose, I knew that it wasn't there anymore. It was going to be the fight that was going to tell me what I needed to know and the answers that I needed," said the former European middleweight champion.

"If I had boxer Brian Rose three or four years ago, I would have stopped him in four, five, six rounds. I'm not the fighter I once was. It's important to retire from sport, not let sport retire you, so it's the right move."