Joe Ward lost his World Boxing Championship final to Olympic champion Julio La Cruz in Hamburg, though he will still bring a silver medal home to County Westmeath.
Ward was always going to be up against it in the light-heavyweight, 81kg final against the four-time world champion, who beat him in the 2015 final in Doha.
La Cruz went down in the opening seconds, but there was no count as the referee judged that it was a slip.
Ward held the middle of the ring during the first round and was busy, though the Cuban got through some good work and caught the 23-year-old Moate man with a heavy right that rocked him back.
The defending champion kept his hands down by his hips for most of the second round and spent plenty of time leaning back on the ropes, trying to goad Ward into an attack.
Ward remained patient and did hit him with a few good shots, though overall La Cruz, who stood rather than taking the stool between rounds, was comfortable and confident.
Knowing that he was trailing, Ward upped the tempo in the second half of the third and final round and he tagged his opponent and even caused the Cuban to turn his back on him at one stage which earned a talking to from the referee.
But ultimately, he couldn't trouble the classy fighter in the red corner, who went on to take a fourth title in-a-row.
The result was unanimous, La Cruz winning 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 on the five judges' cards.
