Callum Smith conceded he would consider retirement after his defeat to Artur Beterbiev.
Smith had hoped to become a world champion once more as he came up against the undefeated unified light heavyweight champion in Canada on Saturday night.
But it was Beterbiev who took victory, stopping the Briton and making it 20 knockouts from 20 in his career so far, and setting up a potential clash with Dmitry Bivol for undisputed status.
Smith was WBA super middleweight champion until his defeat to Canelo Alvarez, and the 33-year-old must now consider what's next.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said he was: “Disappointed. I’m used to being the best, I always believed I was the best, and accepting that I’m not is hard. It’s a hard one to take, but the better man won tonight. He stopped me getting my rhythm.
“He’s good at just touching, touching, stopping me getting any momentum, and I’d say the better man won tonight.”
He also drew comparison between Beterbiev and his brother, Liam Smith, explaining: “He’s a bit like my brother Liam, just touching, touching, but obviously his touching is a little bit harder.
“His power, he’s stopped me, but until I went down I didn’t feel anything power-wise, but more it’s just constantly touching, stopping you getting any rhythm. But no excuses, the better man won.
“My performance wasn't the best, but he's a good champion, turned up and did what he was supposed to do.
“I don’t think he’s the hardest to hit, boxing ability-wise I thought he was pretty reasonable. Whether he felt anything, I’m not sure.
“He’s a good fighter, he's a world champion for a reason.”
Asked what the future holds after a convincing defeat, he said: ‘I’ve always set the bar very high, I've always wanted to be the best, I believed I was the best. I’ve given a lot of boxing, I’ve not made any decisions, but it’s time to assess the future, see if we’ve got any goals to motivate me to get back into the gym. If not, we’ll see.
"My performance wasn't the best, but he's a good champion, turned up and did what he was supposed to do.”