He was awarded Animal Hero, First Class. Again, in the battle of the windmill, he fought with heroism, breaking the heads of three men with his hooves. However, he was injured quite severlly, having sufferred a split hoof, a dozen pellets in his hindleg, a bleeding knee and, to top it all off, he had lost a shoe. He didn't stop working though, wanting to see the windmill finished before he retired in a few months. So, ignoring the pain and his friends warnings, he continued to work until he collapsed one night. One of his lungs had stopped working and he knew that he would have to retire a month early, but said that he had been looking forward to it and maybe Benjamin could retire with him. Most of the animals were upset, but the pigs, who pretended to be upset as well, arranged to sell Boxer onto a slaughter house (telling the other animals they were sending him to a hospital), knowing that his usefullness had come to an end. Upon finding out the truth, the other animals ran to warn Boxer, who was already travelling in the slaughterers cart.