Nick Parkinson

Stephen Smith said a bad start cost him as he lost a unanimous points decision to WBA world super-featherweight champion Jason Sosa on Saturday.

The Briton was unsuccessful in a second world title shot this year and admitted he deserved to lose against American Sosa at the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo.

Smith (24-3, 14 KOs), who was out-pointed by Jose Pedraza for the IBF belt in April, lost 117-110, 116-111 and 116-112 to Sosa (20-1-4, 15 KOs) after an entertaining encounter.

Sosa started impressively and floored Smith with a left in the second round and the challenger was then cut in the third.

“A bad start cost me,” said Smith, from Liverpool. “I tried my best getting into the fight, but I think I lost it early. I always knew I was forcing the fight and nothing came naturally and that’s not me.

“You can’t start like that in a world title fight and expect to win. I fell short and the better man won.

“I believe I’ve got a lot left but I’ve got to see what opportunities are left. I believe the best is yet to come. I need to learn my lesson, I can’t blame anyone.”

Sosa, who stopped Javier Fortuna in the 11th round for the WBA title in June, troubled Smith with his power and the challenger had to contend with a cut around his right eye from the third round.

Smith had some better moments later on, especially in the eighth when he rocked Sosa with a right hook, but Sosa finished strongly with some sharp shots in the 11th and 12th.

“The game plan went as we practised and that’s why I’m world champion today,” said Sosa.

There was success however for Smith’s fellow Briton Jamie McDonnell (29-2-1, 13 KOs), who made a fifth defence of his WBA ‘regular’ world bantamweight title against Venezuela’s Liborio Solis (25-5-1, 11 KOs).

But it was not a convincing display from McDonnell, who won controversially by unanimous scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.

The challenger started with high intensity that faded as McDonnell assumed control and in the ninth Solis was glad to hear the bell after being caught by a series of combinations.

“I felt in control all the way through, I was catching him with right hand and I never thought he was controlling the fight,” said McDonnell, from Doncaster, who this week will return to work as a plasterer.

“In the last round I had to dig in a bit but I’m a little bit gutted.

McDonnell will now consider a move up to super-bantamweight, where a clash with fellow Briton Scott Quigg is possible.

A fight against WBA ‘super’ champion Rau’shee Warren (14-1, 4 KOs), who represented America at three Olympics, is also an option if McDonnell decides to stay at bantamweight.

“I need big fights, that’s my fifth defence, that was a voluntary, may be I’m getting a bit stale and if [promoter] Eddie Hearn can pull a big opponent out you will see something a bit special,” said McDonnell.