Eamonn Loughran, exWBO welterweight title holder, was one of over 60 Irish victims of the swindle. He went to Turkey last week to confront south Derry businessman Kevin O'Kane whom, like most of the victims, he holds responsible for the scam.

After an argument last Monday in Gumbet, Loughran punched O'Kane who was knocked unconscious.

"I was acting in self-defence. O'Kane tried to headbutt me first, " Loughran (37) told the Sunday Tribune.

O'Kane (48) denied being the aggressor. "I never tried to headbutt Eamonn Loughran. I'd be silly to take on a professional boxer. The man behaved like a psycho. I needed 30 stitches to the back of my head."

Loughran has since returned to the North. The matter is under investigation by Turkish police and photographs of O'Kane's injuries are being sent to the PSNI who will want to question Loughran, O'Kane said.

Loughran remortgaged his home in Ballymena, Co Antrim, to buy a villa in the Golden Beach complex at Altinkum, near Bodrum.

"I was given fake deeds, " he told the Sunday Tribune. "I lost �75,000 [ 111,000]. I haven't boxed in 11 years but I may be forced back because I need the money badly. I've put on weight since I retired so I'd now be middleweight. I'd fight John Duddy if the money was right."

Loughran met O'Kane in 2005 through a friend. "He was a well-known Bellaghy businessman. There was no reason not to trust him. He presented himself as the 'sole developer and builder' of the villas."

O'Kane denies being involved in the swindle, claiming he was cheated by his Turkish business partner. O'Kane hasn't been charged with any crime but last month his assets were frozen by Belfast High Court, following a civil action by scam victims. The court order covers an extensive property portfolio and fuel business. O'Kane is banned from leaving Turkey until a police investigation into the scam is over.

Last week, Loughran travelled to Turkey with his wife and two children.

Agreement "I wanted to try to reach some agreement with Kevin because the only people who will make money out of the civil action are lawyers. When I was there, an estate agent in Bodrum told me Kevin was trying to buy 90 apartments in a �3.6m [ 5.4m] deal. Where's he getting that money when he claims he hasn't a penny to pay us back?"

Loughran met O'Kane in an estate agent's office in Gumbet on Monday. The estate agent and his wife were also present.

"Kevin was in denial, blaming everybody else. He never once said sorry. Telling Kevin about a joiner with three young children who lost money doesn't affect him at all.

He's very arrogant. He started yelling at me, 'You set me up, you ambushed me, you b*****d.' He picked up a chair and threw it aside, claims Loughran.

According to Loughran, "The argument moved outside. I called Kevin a thief and a liar and that probably provoked him. He tried to headbutt me. I was standing with my back to the shop window and, had he caught me, I'd have gone through the glass.

He's 17 stone and taller than me. He's a big lump of a man but he's out of shape. I punched him in self-defence and he hit the deck."

Loughran said he waited for the Turkish police but, when they didn't arrive, he left the scene and flew home the next day.

Loughran fought 30 times in his career with 28 wins, 18 by knockout. As WBO welterweight champion, he successfully defended his title five times until he lost to Jose Luis Lopez in 1996, after which he retired.

O'Kane gave the Sunday Tribune an entirely different account of events.

"I'd talked to Eamonn earlier in the week in Turkey and he was fine. He said he'd been in Lough Derg praying for me and praying everything would work out for everybody. But, at Monday's meeting, he changed. He started shouting so I left. He called me back and, when I turned round, he punched me, splitting my lip and busting my nose. I cut my head badly when I hit the ground. Eamonn ran off, " alleges O'Kane.

O'Kane claimed his sons have received threatening phone calls in recent days. He denied trying to buy Bodrum apartments in a new property deal. He said he lost �300,000 ( 445,000) with the Altiknum villas.

"I'm not a crook. I was a victim too. The money was paid to my ex-business partner, Kubylay Atmaca, not to me. I'm trying to get back what I and others lost. Atmaca is in jail awaiting trial. When the case is heard, I'll be vindicated."

The scam victims don't "believe a word of anything O'Kane says", Loughran claims. Other victims plan to visit Turkey within the next month.