Akihiro Kondo failed in his bid to claim the vacant IBF super lightweight title on Saturday, losing to Russia's Sergey Lipinets on a unanimous decision.
Kondo, the third-ranked challenger making his first attempt at a world title, struggled against Lipinets who used an array of jabs, hooks and uppercuts to good effect at Barclays Center.
The 32-year-old Kondo sought to hold his opponent off with aggressive counterpunching, but was unable to keep pace with the top-ranked Russian challenger.
The 28-year-old Lipinets, who overcame a nasty cut in the sixth round, took the verdict 118-110, 117-111, 117-111, extending his perfect career record to 13-0 with 10 knockouts.
"I think the judging was fair," said Kondo, who is 29-7-1 with 16 knockouts.
"I took a lot of punches from my opponent and thought I would need a knockout in the final round. I want to come back to the ring a stronger boxer."