Michael Conlan's dreams of becoming world champion were detonated by Luis Alberto Lopez at Belfast's SSE Arena on Saturday night.
Not even a raucous SSE Arena atmosphere could propel Conlan to the IBF featherweight crown in his home city.
Lopez wobbled the challenger in the third and delivered a sensational finish in the fifth.
Read more: Conlan vs Lopez as it happened at the SSE Arena
The Mexican landed a vicious uppercut on the chin of Conlan who folded on the canvas, forcing coach Adam Booth to throw the towel in and end the contest.
It was a devastating finish, with Conlan requiring some treatment on a stool in the centre of the ring before the official result was announced.
Lopez thrived under the lights and heated atmosphere, one which fell to a deathly silence when the fight ended.
Lopez carried the power and landed some big shots on Conlan during the opening rounds, while Conlan tried to establish his jab and target the body.
Conlan's legs dipped in the third round after Lopez connected with a crunching uppercut, forcing the challenger onto the ropes.
The Falls Road fighter did well to survive the round, and came back with some decent shots of his own in the fourth.
But the fight had already ventured towards a shootout, and there was only going to be one winner.
And in the fifth Lopez delivered the final blow to retain his title in style.
It was another crushing defeat for Conlan, some 14 months on from his loss to Leigh Wood in Nottingham.
But while that was 2022's Fight of the Year, this was a one-sided contest that the champion dominated.
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