Kiwi David Light has failed in his bid to claim the WBO cruiserweight title, falling to a unanimous decision defeat to reigning champion Lawerence Okolie at Manchester.
Light showed plenty of toughness but his inferior size and reach proved too much to overcome, as he succumbed to his first career defeat in 21 bouts.
From the opening bell, Light struggled to get inside Okolie's guard, with the big Brit using his left hand to good effect to keep the Kiwi at bay.
Okolio promised a mid-round stoppage victory, but struggled early on to land his looping right hook, with Light largely untroubled by his biggest blows.
After a lacklustre opening six rounds, both fighters looked visibly tired, resulting in a scrappy affair, which saw the referee give them a stern telling-to.
Light's corner appeals for a couple of low blows fell on deaf ears, as Okolie continued to use his larger frame to advantage to weigh down on the fading Kiwi.
The most action came in round 10, with Light showing great resolve to survive an Okolie onslaught, refusing to go down as the Brit rained down the punches.
On wobbly legs, Light showed good movement to evade the final knockout blow and survive the round, much to the surprise of the British commentators.
With their energy zapped from a non-stop previous round, Okolie was deducted a point by the referee for leaning on Light.
His immediate response was to launch an offensive attack, peppering the Kiwi with one-twos, and forcing him onto the ropes.
Light survived the round yet again, before seeing out the 12th and final round for a decision defeat.
