Ricky Burns lost his welterweight bout against Omar Figueroa on a unanimous points decision in Texas this morning.
The 32-year-old started the fight strongly as he took the initiative to land a couple of blows to the face of the American.
However, Figueroa responded with hefty punches of his own as he started to get into rhythm in the second and third rounds.
Burns landed a big right hand in the fourth, but the 25-year-old rallied with several uppercuts to edge narrowly ahead.
Both fighters cancelled each other out for the majority of the remaining rounds, but Burns was to rue holding onto the American as the referee deducted a point from him in the eighth.
The Scot was penalised again in the 11th for the same infraction, but a strong final round gave him hope as he landed several blows on the tiring Figueroa.
However, it was not enough as the judges declared the American the victor on a unanimous decision; two scoring the fight at 116-110, while the third ruled 117-109.
Simon Sinclair
