Ricky Burns has seen his dream of another world title shot left in tatters after he suffered defeat on home soil to Montenegrin fighter Dejan Zlaticanin.
The British lightweight, who surrendered his WBO title to Terence Crawford in March, had been expected to make light work of his unbeaten opponent as he looked to secure a shot at the WBC strap.
However, the Scot was unable to recover from being floored in front of a passionate Glasgow crowd inside 20 seconds as Zlaticanin landed at will with a bludgeoning left hand.
After conceding the opening rounds, Burns recovered to ensure that the fight remained in doubt in the latter stages, but he couldn't do enough to impress the judges.
One judge awarded the bout to Burns by a score of 115-113, but the other two officials gave it to Zlaticanin, both by 115-113, to see Burns left facing a long road to another world title opportunity or retirement from the sport.
Darren Plant
