Michael Conlan missed out on a first world title after a fifth-round stoppage by Luis Alberto Lopez in a high-intensity IBF featherweight encounter at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
A venomous uppercut from Lopez forced Conlan’s corner to throw in the towel.
The Mexican had been on top in the contest with some powerful shots.
Conlan, 31, received treatment in the ring and was given a round of applause by the stunned home crowd as he returned to his feet.
Lopez, after subdued celebrations with his corner, checked on his opponent and the pair shared a respectful embrace in the ring before the result was declared.
The defeat comes after last year’s dramatic WBA ‘Regular’ featherweight title contest with Leigh Wood, where Conlan was in a strong position before being knocked out of the ring in the final round.
Raucous crowd stunned by Lopez
A week after Katie Taylor lost to Chantelle Cameron in her homecoming bout in Dublin, Irish hopes were placed on Conlan as he welcomed Lopez to his backyard in Belfast.
The mood from the challenger’s camp had been positive all week, and the pre-fight build-up had been dominated by cries of ‘and the new…’ from Conlan’s fans, which were always followed up by shouts of ‘and still…’ from the small, yet vocal travelling Mexican support.
The atmosphere from the press conference and weigh-in were a precursor of things to come, and the SSE Arena was electric as Conlan came out to the ring.
Conlan had said his “whole life” was going into this fight as he aimed to fulfil his dream of becoming a world champion, something he had long been tipped to achieve after a stellar amateur career.
Lopez, like he did when taking the title off Josh Warrington in Leeds in December, came out of the traps fast but Conlan landed more shots as he felt his way into the contest in a breathless first round – one the home fighter edged.
Both fighers landed big hits in the second round, and every Conlan connection, including a strong combination in the corner, got the crowd off their feet with chants of ‘ole, ole’.
The third round was the turning point as Lopez landed a number of venomous shots to the head, which had Conlan wobbling towards the ropes.
The home fighter rallied to make the bell but the onslaught continued into the fourth as Lopez kept the fight in close quarters.
Although Conlan improved in the fifth, the devastating blow came at 1.13 into the round when a Lopez uppercut sent the Irish fighter to the canvas and the towel was thrown in by his team.
The vocal crowd had been left stunned by the stoppage and, after some concern while Conlan was treated by medics, the two fighters shared a moment in the centre of the ring before Lopez was officially declared the winner.
Cacace and O’Leary star on undercard
There was plenty for home support to cheer about on the undercard as the Irish fighters set the tone for Conlan’s fight at the SSE Arena.
Belfast fighter Anthony Cacace claimed a popular unanimous decision victory over Polish fighter Damian Wrzesinski to retain his IBO super-featherweight title in front of his home crowd.
‘The Apache’ took control of the 12-round contest but couldn’t shake off Wrzesinski, however he took a unanimous decision victory with 118-111, 117-111 and 116-112 on the judges’ cards.
Dubliner Pierce O’Leary demolished Romania’s Alin Florin Ciorceri in the first round to retain his WBC super light-welterweight title in dominant fashion.
It took 71 seconds for O’Leary, 23, to knock his opponent to the canvas and, after a further flurry of punches, referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to halt the contest.
Highly-rated Nick Ball was frustrated by Ludomo Lamati but the Liverpool fighter, who was expected to be too explosive for his South African opponent, eventually prevailed with a final round stoppage, after Lamati’s corner threw the towel in, to retain the WBC silver featherweight strap.
There was concern for Lamati after the bout as the 31-year-old was carried out of the ring after the stoppage.
Ealrlier, Northern Ireland’s Kurt Walker, whose stellar amateur career included silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, continued his fine start to his professional career against Maico Velazco.
Belfast’s Conor Quinn, nicknamed ‘The Magnificent’, came out on top against Juan Hinostroza in a close flyweight encounter.