Ex-pat Whanganui boxer Robert Berridge's propensity to get cut came back to haunt him after a premature points decision loss to undefeated Canadian Ryan Ford in Singapore on early Sunday morning, NZ time.
Challenging the locally-based Ford for his lightly regarded Universal Boxing Organization world light-heavyweight title, Berridge did well in the first two rounds of the main event at the Resorts World Sentosa.
However, he was starting to slow down while Ford stayed on the move as the fight wore on, getting through with a couple of good hooks, but rarely using the jab to set up opportunities.
An accidental head clash in the sixth round reopened Berridge's scar tissue above his right eye, a bad wound that previously bled heavily in his stoppage defeat to WBA interim light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in February.
However, Berridge fought with more urgency in the seventh as Ford switched stances but did not land much of significance by the bell, as Berridge's blood continued to flow.