WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames beat Gerome Warburton by unanimous decision in a non-title super middleweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Warburton, who holds the WBC continental title, climbed the ropes in the corner after the final round to celebrate going the distance against top-ranked Adames.
The Welshman raised his gloves in pride, but surely knew the referee would raise Adames' hand, with all three judges scoring the fight in the Dominican's favour (100-90, 98-92, 99-91).
Adames, who was making his Zuffa Boxing debut, dominated the fight from the first bell until the last as Warburton, now 18-2-3 as a professional, adopted a defensive approach.
It served the Colwyn Bay fighter well as he withstood some strong shots from Adames, who now boasts a 26-1-1 professional record.
Most of Adames success came with shots to the body, but he never threatened to claim a 19th career knockout victory against an opponent who showed flashes of danger.
Having stayed in the fight, Warburton's best offence came in the later rounds, with the eighth and 10th being awarded to him by one of the judges.
