Michael Conlan's surprise split-decision defeat to Kevin Walsh in Belfast could well prove to be the final act in the 34-year-old’s boxing career.
Having lost two of his previous three fights in his home city, Conlan said earlier this week that another defeat would be the final straw.
"Every fight in my career now is last chance saloon and as I've said, next time I would lose, I would call it a day," he said, and it remains to be seen if he will follow through after Walsh was crowned the new WBC International featherweight champion.
The favourite heading into the bout, Conlan looked a pale shadow of his former self and laboured throughout the 10-round contest at the SSE Arena.
The 33-year-old, who only began boxing a decade ago, took the early initiative and a shot above the eyebrow led to a bloody cut for Conlan.
The two-time Olympian appeared content to probe without landing any significant blows, and in truth, there was little to get the crowd off their seats, the US challenger skipping around the ring unharmed.
While one judge scored the fight 97-93 in Conlan’s favour, the other two judges felt he was second-best, both scoring it 96-94 in Walsh’s favour.
"I was very confident I got the job done to be honest," Walsh said afterwards. "It was definitely a close fight, I've always been a fan of (Conlan) but I knew I got the job done. It was hard for him to figure me out honestly.
"He's a hell of a fighter but his time's up baby."
