Boxing: Andy Lee was stopped in the seventh round by Brian Vera as the Irish middleweight lost his first professional bout at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut this morning.
The fight was controversially stopped by referee Tony Chiarantano towards the end of the seventh despite Lee still offering plenty of resolve. It was the 23-year-old's first defeat in 16 professional fights.
Although Lee was cut and bloodied the official scorecards had the Irish boxer ahead (58-55, 59-54, 58-55) when the fight was stopped. The question now is how Lee, who has shown so much promise up to this point, will bounce back.
Lee had dominated his 26-year-old opponent in the early stages and had Vera on the canvas in the opening round. That said, Vera stepped up the work rate to demonstrate his resilience and tough battling qualities.
The Texan caught Lee in the fifth when he had his opponent on the ropes and attempted to capitalise on Lee's cut above the eye.
The telling blow came in the seventh when a crunching right hand to the face from Vera forced the stoppage.
It remains to be seen where Lee goes from here, for he was expected to win this bout before setting up a lucrative televised bout in the States.