‘I’ll stand by Kash Ali as long as he is repentant after the David Price biting fiasco:’ trainer Adam Etches

The Rotherham heavyweight, 27, twice sank his teeth in opponent David Price before being disqualified five rounds into Saturday’s bout in Price's home city of Liverpool.

Ali’s license has been suspended and his purse withheld, minus expenses.

Etches, who is new to both training and promoting, was as shocked as anyone by Ali's conduct - something the boxer admitted was "stupid" later.

Sheffield-based Etches said: "After the fight, I said to Kash: 'That was ridiculous, what were you playing at?' I didn't really know what he'd done until I watched the fight back.

"It was hard to believe. It can only be a moment of madness. He lost his head, but he won't be the first or the last, sometimes people do crazy things under pressure.

"For me, it's very frustrating because he genuinely is a nice kid, and a lot of hard work and money went into the camp - we spent £7,000 on sparring partners alone.

"Kash has to realise exactly what he has done. He is going to find it hard to get opportunities, he'll get booed. But providing he's sorry promoters will have him back on shows."

Ali's team withstood a barrage of abuse from fight fans as they were escorted from ring, on Saturday.

"We were covered in beer, people were trying to hit us and shouting abuse at us. It wasn't a pleasant experience but you have to expect these things" said Etches.

The Boxing Board of Control has confirmed Ali's suspension, which is pending a hearing by the organisation's Central Area Council.

In one of the few precedents in Britain, middleweight Adrian Dodson was banned for 18 months in 1999 after being found guilty of biting opponent Alain Bonnamie.