BRIAN MAGEE'S challenge for the Olympic middleweight championship ended in frustration and pain yesterday when he was out-pointed 15-9 by the Algerian Mohamed Bahari in the quarter-finals.

With a place in the semifinals and a bronze medal hinging on the result, the Belfast man was left to rue his loss of concentration in the second round after doing enough to restrict the skilful Algerian to a 4-3 lead after the first three minutes.

From that point on, however, he was drifting and, after going 12-6 down by the end of the second round, it was apparent that his only hope of survival depended on his ability to nail Bahari with a big punch in the closing round.

Nothing was spared in the effort and, on one occasion, he appeared to have him in trouble when Bahari was forced to back off quickly after straying into the path of a right hook.

Another clean shot at that stage might well have precipitated the end for Bahari but, despite being shaken, he was still sufficiently aware to take the necessary evasive action.

After pulling Magee into a clinch and borrowing time for his head to clear, he back-pedalled unashamedly and stayed out of harm's way for the remainder of the round to share it 3-3.

Although a section of the crowd booed the decision, there could be no real argument that the better man won. Equally, the Irish camp was forced to acknowledge that, in the tactical duel, it was the Algerian who came up with the more positive answers.

Magee's plan of campaign had been based on the promise that Bahari would rumble forward as he had done in his previous two bouts and that he would then be in a position to spear him with his southpaw right.

The Algerians had done their homework, however, and instead of the expected two-handed burst in the opening round, Bahari retreated into a defensive shell and the Irishman was left with no alternative but to go after him.

That was foreign to his natural style of boxing and as he lunged forward, he was caught several times by the speed and accuracy of Bahari's jab. By way of contrast, Magee landed two good rights and another just before the end of the round gave him every chance of following in the path of those Irish boxers who have won Olympic bronze.

If there was a turning point in the bout it came immediately after the bell for the second round. Even as Magee strode forward he was trapped with two good punches and with his confidence suitable boosted, Bahari gradually became more industrious.

Bemused, Magee could offer no reply when he was twice caught high up on the head and there was more trouble to follow when the Algerian caught him with a superbly timed hook to the jaw.

To make matters worse when Magee eventually caught up with him with a good left in the dying seconds of the round, it was recorded as a point for Bahari. That is the Achilles heel of the new computer system in which judges occasionally press the wrong button but in this instance, it made no difference to the outcome.

Sensing victory, the Algerian was content to hold what he had in the third round and was progressing serenely towards victory until the moment that he, too lapsed in concentration and Magee's left glove came whistling in to remind him that victory was not yet secured.

Sadly, from an Irish viewpoint, there was to be no repeat of that punch and Bahari, who may now go all the way to the final, finished a deserving winner.

Later, Magee made no complaints about the decision but admitted that his fight plan had been scuppered by the Algerian. "We expected him to come forward but, as you saw, he was content to box on the counter through almost all of the first round. It just didn't go the way I thought it would go but give him credit, he is a very clever defensive boxer.

"A couple of single punches hurt me in the second round but neither of them was as good as the one I landed on his jaw in the third round.

"Just for a moment I thought it was going my way but Bahari was too shrewd to be caught a second time and from that to the end, he was on his bike".

Magee, who gave up his job as a barman some months ago, is hopeful that his two wins here will open some doors for him when he returns to Belfast. "I need a job and I would like to think that I've done well enough here to give me a chance of getting one when I go back to Belfast."

On the question of whether he would now use his Olympic experience as the platform for a professional career, he said: "I'm keeping my options open on that one. It is possible that at some stage I will turn pro but for the moment at least I'm staying in the amateur game."

Mickey Hawkins, his fellow Belfast man, who was in the corner, offered the opinion that Magee had boxed well without ever getting in front at any stage of the contest.

"We needed to get an early lead and put ourselves in a position in which we could dictate the tactics but, unfortunately, Brian was chasing about from the start.

"Bahari was clever and quite sharp in his timing. But while I think the decision was a right one, I still wouldn't bet on Brian losing if they were to meet again.

"He paid for his loss of concentration in the second round when the result went against him but I think he is going to be a better fighter as a result of this experience.