Dillian Whyte looked out of sorts and nowhere near world level as the Briton labored against undefeated American Jermaine Franklin.
Whyte got buzzed on more than one occasion as Franklin, a +400 underdog prior to the fight, enjoyed constant successes.
Dillian Whyte lost the fight
Despite seemingly being down on the scorecards, trainer Buddy McGirt – who admitted he’d never seen Whyte fight – told his charge not to go for the knockout.
The final round was a furious affair, with Franklin doing enough to take an away victory.
Not to be, though, as Whyte got a predictable hometown decision. Scores of 1116-112 twice and a 115-115 draw saw Franklin robbed of his big moment.
The vast majority of those watching and scoring on social media saw Franklin as the worthy winner.
Whyte vs Franklin undercard results
Fabio Wardley is the new British heavyweight champion after dropping and stopping Nathan Gorman in fine style.
Wardley put Gorman down three times in the fight to pick up the Lonsdale belt following a third-round stoppage.
Former Team GB member Pat McCormack won every round of six in dominant fashion to defeat Christian Andino for a third professional win.
Sandy Ryan is a step closer to a world title shot after a decisive points victory over Anahi Ester Sanchez after ten rounds.
Middleweight Mark Dickinson moved to 4-0 with a six-round points win over Gideon Onyenani. The third man scored it 59-56.
Amateur star Cheavon Clarke had too much in his locker for Jose Ulrich. Clarke got the job done in the second when referee Reece Carter stepped in to save Ulrich from further punishment.
The Argentine was down in the first and struggled to take Clarke’s best punches. Clarke is now 4-0.
George Liddard made light work of Nikola Matic as the Billericay man claimed victory on his pro debut. Matic went down in the second and didn’t want to continue despite the Bosnian getting to his feet.
In the opener, Dillian Whyte’s heavyweight protege Thomas Carty took out Ukranian also-ran Pvavlo Krolenko in five rounds. Furthermore, Carty is now 4-0.
