Sunday 29 May 2016 09:12, UK
Shane Mosley failed in his quest to secure a shot at the WBA world welterweight title, suffering a unanimous points decision defeat to David Avanesyan.
The former three-weight world champion (49-10-1 KO 41) was attempting to earn a mandatory shot at the winner of WBA champion Keith Thurman v Shawn Porter, a bout which will take place in June.
But Mosley, 44, struggled to deal with the superior speed and power of Avanesyan (22-1-1 KO 11) at the Gila River Arena in Arizona and was hit with numerous strong counters in the early rounds.
The 27-year-old Russian continued to pile on the pressure and landed with some effective body shots in the middle rounds as Mosley remained on the back foot.
Avanesyan stunned Mosley at the end of the eighth round with a powerful hook that got through the veteran American's defence.
With the fight going away from him, Mosley lost a point in the tenth for a low blow after several warnings from referee Wes Melton and having previously floored Avanesyan in the third with a shot below the belt.
Mosley reacted from the deduction by landing with some crisp punches, but he failed to sustain that energy and was caught again by Avanesyan, this time to the body, at the end of the 11th round.
As neither man could force the stoppage in the final round, the outcome of the fight went to the scorecards, with Avanesyan prevailing 117-110, 117-110 and 114-113.
