TEN seconds, one kick – and an entire retirement plan was jettisoned.

That’s the fate that befell Thai kickboxing ace Dave Phillips after he stepped out of four years exile to floor an opponent.

Phillips, one of the owners of the Legions Thai gym in York’s Fifth Avenue, made his comeback on the Ring Series IV show at York’s Energise Centre.

Ahead of his return, which he decided to make to raise funds for the special baby care unit at York Hospital, Phillips trained in Leeds with current world champions Liam Harrison and James France.

Indeed, both those world kings were joined by another global ace, Andy Howson, as his corner-men for the main event on the show.

But the contest lasted a mere ten seconds. With his first blow, a pummelling left kick to the head, Phillips KO’d his opponent.

As he reflected on his rapid demolition job Phillips said: “I knew I was in good shape but I wanted to show the spectators what I could do.

“I said all along it was going to be my last fight, but I had sold 150 tickets and at £25 a pop I don’t think they got their money’s worth. I mean ten seconds is all it took.

“So I’ve decided I will have one more fight on the next show in the new year.”

Phillips’ other Legion club-mates provided significantly more action with six wins from seven bouts, four inside the distance, including that ten-seconds KO by the co-owner of Legions, who organised the event along with Gaz Watkinson of the United Masters gym in Layerthorpe.

Gary Benton beat Adam Pociecha from Barnsley in a K1 contest on points, while in a boxing bout Dean McQuade out-pointed Gary Jones of the Wardogs Gym in Barnsley.

Danny Chilton’s K1 second-round knockout of Campbell Paton, of the United Masters gym, saw the latter, a late stand-in for a boxing contest, opt to take on the K1 bout after both his and Chilton’s scheduled opponents withdrew at the last minute.

Said Watkinson: “Campbell showed a lot of guts to first step in as a replacement for a boxer who was originally on the show, and then as Danny’s opponent in a discipline he had never before tried.

“And there was even more credit for Campbell. He gave half of his purse to Dave Phillips for the baby care unit at York Hospital.”

Legions’ Liam Goodwin successfully defended his English title with a second round stoppage of Inguss Rudzitis after the Bradford fighter suffered a broken hand.

Ian Houllibecq completed the Legions’ winning roster with a third-round stoppage of Kyle Parton.

The only defeat was that of Mike Wood, who was also fighting on behalf of the York Hospital special care unit, when he was beaten on points by Jamie Kirby from Craig Long’s York Black Belt Academy.