Sunday 17 April 2016 13:03, UK
Stephen Smith's brave attempt to become Britain's 13th world champion ended in a disappointing points defeat to Jose Pedraza.
Smith took the IBF world super-featherweight champion the distance but lost the unanimous decision after he was knocked down in the ninth round.
It was far from a one-sided affair at the Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, but even Smith and his three boxing brothers accepted the 117-110, 116-111, 116-111 scoring.
The knockdown from a fearsome right at the start of the ninth didn't decide the outcome, but took the wind out of Smith's sails after he had come to terms with Pedraza's trickery.
American broadcasters had them level after eight and although the remaining rounds were fairly even and certainly explosive, it proved impossible for the British challenger to redress the balance.
The fight, with brothers Paul, Liam and Callum sat ringside, saw the Liverpudlian Smith struggle with Pedraza's jab and awkward angles to start with before he slowly but surely worked his way into contention.
The travelling support saw their man put the IBF champion on the floor in the fourth round only for it to come from a push rather than a punch.
But from then on Smith started to put his combinations together, including a four-punch salvo in the fifth, proving his growing confidence.
He made Pedraza miss plenty and there were times when 'The Sniper' seamed to ease off on the jab - at one stage he dropped his guard completely.
Smith's successes came on the counter when the Puerto Rican poured forward, but after the ninth-round knockdown, Pedraza upped the ante and two big body shots set up an onslaught that had the British contingent fearing the worse.
Smith came back in the 11th, but Pedraza ended the fight with a spectacular finish with three ferocious minutes and, even though Smith did catch him several times, he was unable to return the knockdown.
