Robert Downey Jnr is certainly in the thick of the action these days. If he's not kicking ass as Tony Stark aka Ironman he's getting knocked out as the new-look Sherlock Holmes, only in the latter case it's for real.

British tabloid The Sun has reported the 43-year-old, who has resurrected his career in the last 12-months, was left unconscious while filming a fight scene on Guy Ritchie's latest film about the legendary British detective.



It said Downey Jnr was out cold for six seconds and drooling blood after being struck on the chin by a wayward Robert Maillet fist.

He was lucky he didn't come out of it worse as Maillet is a massive man who can pack a punch. He's a seven-foot Canadian wrestler who was last seen on the big screen as that grotesque Uber Imortal who battled the Spartans in 300.

A 'source' told the paper it was a "thundering hook" that sent Downey Jnr "flying".

Apparently Downey Jnr received six stitches to the wound, but he didn't want to go to hospital and so battled on.

What an ironman ...