Jack Marley had to settle for silver as he lost to Italy’s Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine in the heavyweight final of the European Games.
The Dubliner lost by unanimous decision to the more experienced opponent to end his remarkable run in Poland.
Having already made history by becoming the first Irish heavyweight boxer in 27 years to qualify for an Olympic Games, Marley was looking to top his week off with a gold medal.
But he struggled to find his range against Mouhiidine who proved an elusive target.
The Italian was the busier fighter in the early stages and even started to showboat towards the end of the first round.
Marley, 20, began to connect with some shots in the second round but was also being picked off by Mouhiidine.
Behind on the scorecards heading into the final round, Marley had to take some chances.
He tried to put pressure on the Italian but couldn't land the big shots he needed.
It went to the scorecards but the result was never in doubt as the judges came to a unanimous verdict in favour of Mouhiidine.
Still, it has been a brilliant run from Marley and he can look forward to competing in the Olympics next year.
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