Ireland's Luke Keeler fell short in his bid to dethrone the reigning WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade in Miami, Florida last night.
Despite a brave effort, the 32-year-old suffered a ninth-round stoppage at the Meridian at Island Gardens with Andrade successfully defending his title.
As a result of beating former US Boxing Association champion Luis Arias in Belfast last summer, the Dubliner earned a shot at the title against the impressive American.
Keeler, who was fighting in his first big contest at world level, hit the canvas on a couple of occasions during the bout but battled admirably throughout.
He suffered a nightmare start when he was knocked down in the opening seconds after Andrade's first punch in round one.
⚡LIGHTNING START!⚡
⏱@BooBooAndrade knocked down Luke Keeler in 5 seconds... but had to wait until the ninth round before he stopped his brave opponent pic.twitter.com/oBmujbo2mV— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 31, 2020
The Irishman - who is trained by Pete Taylor - also hit the deck in round two, but then settled into the contest.
He more than held his own over the remainder of the fight which brought cheers from the Irish fans in attendance, though the momentum always appeared to be with the winner.
A late flurry from the American in the ninth round saw referee Telis Assemenios end the fight as Andrade held on to the title.
There was also significant Irish interest in another fight at the Miami venue.
Amanda Serrano's defeat of Simone Da Silva puts her in line to fight Katie Taylor. Serrano comfortably overcame the challenge of the Brazilian, winning courtesy of a third-round knockout.
The American fighter has won world titles across seven weight categories and showed little signs of rustiness in her first fight since September when she became the world featherweight champion for the second time.
This latest success keeps her potential bout with Katie Taylor on track - it is anticipated that the American will sign a deal to fight the undefeated Bray native in the not-too-distant future.
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