Jailed boxing champ Scott Fitzgerald could have killed the man he punched while drunk, says court 

Scott Fitzgerald, an undefeated British boxer, has been sent to jail after knocking a man unconscious while drunk.

Fitzgerald rose to prominence on the amateur scene after winning a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth games in the welterweight division. Following his victory, the Lancanshire-born boxer turned professional and went on to win all 15 of his bouts as well as the British super-welterweight title.

Despite his sucess inside the ring, Scott Fitzgerald has struggled in his personal life through the use of drugs and alcohol, which all came to a head on November 27 last year.

Fitzgerald had reportedly been drinking and smoking cannabis all afternoon and was kicked out of a pub by the landlord after causing a scene by stomping his feet. After being removed from the pub, the British boxer got into a confrontation with a group of people after he was seen kicking at the door.

Leevi Francis, a member of the public who tried to intervene, was then knocked unconscious by the boxer in one punch. Francis suffered a broken jaw and a cut under his eyebrow due to the attack.

Scott Fitzgerald was later taken to court by Leevi Francis and this week the Preston Crown Court ruled that Fitzgerald would be sentenced to 46 weeks in prison for using his fists as a 'weapon'.

Ayaz Qazi, who was defending the 31-year-old, commented on the verdict. He said:

"He [Fitzgerald] is utterly aghast and ashamed of the way he was behaving, this loutish and disorderly behaviour in public."

What did the judge say during Scott Fitzgerald's trial?

Scott Fitzgerald is set to spend the next 11 months of his life inside a jail cell after knocking a man unconscious during a drink and drug fueled bender.

During the trial, which culminated this week, it was announced that Fitzgerald had been banned indefinitely from boxing and that he had managed to remain sober while in custody.

The judge presiding over the case, Richard Archer, stated that the severity of the punishment served to Scott Fitzgerald was due to his profession. According to the judge, Fitzgerald could have killed the victim because his hands are treated as weapons.

He said:

"You know, as somebody who is supposed to be trained to control aggression and channel it for the purposes of professional sport, that when to behave that way - even by your own admission under the influence of drink and drugs - is entirely unacceptable.You risk very serious consequences for your victim. A professional boxer who under the influence is unable to charge the power in those fists could all so easily have rendered a man not just unconscious, but dead."

Catch one of Fitzgerald's boxing bouts here: