London, Dec 01 : Former England Test captain Andrew Flintoff, who won his debut professional boxing bout against Richard Dawson on Friday in Manchester, has claimed this win tops the lot as a personal achievement.

Flintoff got up off the floor to claim victory in his professional boxing debut against Dawson in front of 6,000-strong crowd including Freddie's comedian pals John Bishop and Jack Whitehall and former cricketer Darren Gough.

Flintoff was the better-conditioned fighter throughout as he outworked his rather less-toned American opponent across four two-minute rounds.

Over-exuberance was the debutant''s undoing in the second round when he rushed in to be sent to the canvas by a chopping Dawson left.

Fans in the Manchester Arena wheezed in shock but Flintoff leapt back to his feet, untroubled by the flash knockdown

And he proceeded to win the remaining two rounds, with Dawson staggering into the ropes on several occasions, to claim victory on the referee''s scorecard.

The man in the middle, referee Phil Edwards, somehow managed to score the bout 39-38, which shouldn''t have been possible due to the mandatory 10-8 round for Dawson in the second.

A clearly delighted Flintoff said the win ranked ahead of his other sporting achievements.

"As a personal achievement, this tops the lot," the Daily Mirror quoted Flintoff, as saying.

"The crowd made a massive difference tonight. I was sloppy at times but it was a humbling moment," he added.

However, Flintoff refused to commit himself to another fight adding: "We'll see how we go." (ANI)