LUSS boxer Hannah Rankin says she has her eye on a clean sweep of super-welterweight world titles after a successful first defence of her IBO and WBA super-welterweight titles on home soil on Friday.

But the former Hermitage Academy pupil’s thoughts of who, where and when she might fight next were placed firmly on the back burner with the news that her Hydro opponent, Alejandra Ayala, had been admitted to hospital for surgery.

Ayala needed medical treatment in the ring after the referee stepped in to end the bout, in front of 4,000 excited fans at the OVO Hydro, 65 seconds into the 10th and final round, as the Mexican wilted under a flurry of punches to the body from the defending champion.

Fight promoters Dennis Hobson Promotions issued a statement on Sunday announcing that Ayala had undergone surgery in Glasgow following the contest and was reported to be in a stable condition, saying Rankin herself was “deeply concerned” to hear the news.

The former Hermitage Academy pupil said in a social media post in response: “My thoughts, prayers and good wishes are with Alejandra and her family and team.

“Once again thank you Scotland for supporting our fight and can we all keep Alejandra and her team in your thoughts for a speedy recovery.”

Ayala had wasted no time in dispelling any doubts among the crowd about the quality of the opponent lined up for Rankin’s first defence of the titles she won in London last November, with little to choose between the pair in the first five rounds of the contest and the challenger landing a couple of powerful blows.

And though Rankin picked up the pace from round six onwards, it wasn’t until round eight that she finally had Ayala on the ropes; by the end of the ninth a home win was looking inevitable and, with the 31-year-old on the front foot from the start of the 10th round and Ayala fast running out of steam, it was no surprise to see the referee end the contest.

Speaking immediately after the fight, and before the extent of Ayala’s injuries became clear, Rankin said she had no firm plans for her next bout.

“I’ll leave that up to my team,” she said: “The super-welterweight division is is really exciting at the moment - there’s some fantastic fighters out there, but I’ve got two of the belts and I want all five. That’s my goal.”