Anthony Crolla has fallen flat in his bid to regain the WBA lightweight title as Jorge Linares produced a masterful points win in Saturday's Manchester Arena rematch.
The hometown favourite bravely overcame a seventh-round knockdown, but could not prevent his Venezuelan rival from repeating his unanimous decision win with a wider 118-109 verdict on all three scorecards.
Though Crolla responded admirably to Linares's variety of shots, roared on by around 15,000 in the arena, the 30-year-old Brit was ultimately outclassed, only claiming three rounds in the bout.
He told Sky Sports News after the fight: "He's a great champion. Manchester, I am so sorry I couldn't do it for you. Your support means so much to me.
"He caught me but before that I thought I could get to him. I got beaten by the better man - no excuses. I am 30 years old, I am going to rest, but I believe I can go again."
Linares will now seek a Las Vegas payday against WBC champion Mikey Garcia, while Crolla will likely need to rebuild domestically if he is to come again at world level.
Ireland's Katie Taylor, Olympic gold medallist and five-time women's amateur world champion, won her fourth professional contest with a 80-72 decision over eight two-minute rounds against Milena Koleva earlier in the night.
Giuseppe Labellarte
