The 20-year-old Kajang-born Theena Thayalan only managed a split draw after he dislocated his shoulder in the first round of the six-round match.

Following the decision in the welterweight fight, which served as the supporting fight for the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse “Fight of the Champions”, Theena Thayalan’s record now stands at five wins (two knockouts) against a draw.

“This was the biggest fight in my career and it was a good match. I started well but could not fight well because my main hand was injured, so I had to be defensive. My right shoulder popped out (dislocated), but my coach managed to put it back in.

“The injury happened when I threw a right hook. I am a southpaw but I can box with both hands. I could not move my ‘first’ hand, so I had to depend on my ‘second’ hand. I was very confident of winning the match but, unfortunately, I could not because of the injury. Nevertheless, it was a fair decision because most of his punches landed on my gloves while my punches won points,” he said after the match.

Theena Thayalan, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of his role model Roy Jones Jr, said his promoters had promised him a rematch by 2019.