Sam Goodman's stock went up in defeat as the longtime junior featherweight contender acquitted himself well over 12 gruelling rounds with WBA featherweight titleholder Nick Ball, who pitched another hard-fought defence to make it three in 14 months since winning gold.

Ball threw considerably more shots and landed at a slightly higher clip overall (240-220) over 12 rounds, while Goodman was credited with 5.7% more accuracy. The Aussie also tagged the champion with 46.9% of his power punches (136/290) too.

Scores of 117-111, 118-1110 didn't tell the full story, while Enrico Licini's 115-113 card felt closer given how many rounds were closely-contested with little to split them.

Ball outlanded Goodman in eight of the 12 rounds so although you couldn't argue with the result during a nip-and-tuck affair, it's no wonder the 28-year-old lamented his performance and openly spoke about a desire to improve as championship challenges intensify post-fight.