Price, 35, landed a stinging shot on the undefeated 27-year-old in round five, prompting a grapple.

Ali fell on top of the Liverpudlian and with the pair on the canvas, appeared to bite Price near his rib cage.

Ali was officially disqualified for biting and left the arena beneath a barrage of drinks thrown by fans.

The bizarre win – greeted by confusion and a chorus of boos at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena – extended Price’s record to 24 wins and six defeats and was a first defeat of Ali’s 16-fight career.

In the build-up to the fight, Price had vowed to punish his former sparring partner, who had called him “a quitter”.

Price revealed that Ali had asked for a rematch but he insisted: “I don’t want to share the ring with an animal like that.”

Ali lost his fee for the fight and former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew called for him to be banned.

“He is a disgrace for what he’s done,” Bellew told Sky Sports.

“Biting a man on the floor? There’s not many things lower.”