Boxing: Sheffield fighter Liam Cameron beaten on split decision by Lyndon Arthur
It was a Herculean effort.
It was a Herculean effort.
So much so that one of the ringside judges declared that Liam Cameron had overcome the odds and beaten home fighter Lyndon Arthur.
Liam, from the Manor, Sheffield, agreed.
He ended the sometimes brutal 10-rounder with a smile on his face, yelling: "I've got to have won it."
Sadly for him, two other judges disagreed - one with a wild assessment of 97-91 in favour of the Mancunian, former IBO world champion. The loss at the Whites Hotel, Bolton shouldn't obscure the size of achievement for Cameron, who is back in the sport after a five-year absence.
He had looked shorter in height and was certainly less heavy - Arthur had somewhat unprofessionally failed to make weight for the contest and was eight ounces over.
But 'King Arthur's' thunderous jab was enough to catch two of the judges' eyes, a bitter pill to swallow for the Sheffielder but an experience that should do him no harm going forward.
Boxing promoters and TV stations - this fight was broadcast live on Channel 5 - love a back-story and Liam has that on top of stupendous levels of fitness and resilience.
Cameron (previously W23 L5 Draw 0) put Arthur (23-2-0) under pressure in the second round, a spell which ended in controversy as Arthur decked Cameron well well after the bell had gone. The fight favourite was stripped of a point by referee Howard Foster, as
Cameron, on wobbly legs, tried to clear his senses. Arthur, who wasn't shy of using his head during clinches, delivered a shot after the bell had gone in the third round too.
However, the South Yorkshire former ABA champion, 33, was in the ref's bad books in round six; he was also deducted a point, for a 'rabbit' punch.
Cameron's conditioning and footwork kept him in the hunt up until the final bell though and Arthur sportingly complimented him and even thanked him for sharing a ring with him, in the WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight bout.
Liam's bruised and swollen face showed he'd been in the wars.
But as he said on Twitter, he had only been boxing for nine months after his return from a ban from the sport.
He pointed out that Arthur, also 33, had gone 12 rounds with IBO and WBA champion Dmitrii Bivol in Saudi Arabia in December - that was the quality of his opponent.
"It was a split decision; (95-93, 97-91, 93-95) I thought I had won, but that's another story...I'll bounce back" he said.
Certainly, Liam has proven he deserves to campaign at a high level and be paid accordingly.
And that should bring the Steel City gym fighter another showcase opportunity by the end of the year.