Doncaster boxer's house broken into while he fought in Japan

At almost the exact time he was defending his WBA bantamweight title in Tokyo, Japan, McDonnell's home in Hatfield Woodhouse, which he shares with wife Hollie and their three-year-old daughter, was burgled.

The family are still assessing what items were taken as they recover from a physically and emotionally taxing trip to Japan, which followed a two-week training camp in Dubai.

McDonnell said: "My neighbours reported it around half two to three o'clock that three or four lads were breaking into my house.

"Hopefully we'll find out who has done it.

"They've taken stuff but we still don't really know how much they've got.

"It'll probably only be as we come to use certain things that we'll know what's gone.

"It's been a long, tiring trip and we've needed to rest up so it's been difficult to try and get everything sorted with this.

"It's stressful. It's not what you want to come back to."

McDonnell was stopped in the first round of his fight with Japan's Naoya Inoue, losing the world title he has held for four years and bringing to an end a ten-year unbeaten streak.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Sometime between 12pm and 9pm on Friday 25 May, it was reported a property on Menson Drive, Hatfield, Doncaster, had been broken into.

"Damage was caused to the door of the property in the incident.

"Anyone with information is asked to report it 101 quoting incident number 1010 of 25 May."