Kerry boxer Kevin Cronin was on the wrong side of a contentious split decision after a brilliant performance against former Olympian Emmet Brennan at the 3Arena in Dublin on Friday.

Cronin appeared to have done more than enough to win the bout and capture the BUI Celtic Super Middleweight title but only one of the three judges scored the fight in his favour.

The Milltown man was left visibly furious after the result was announced and the crowd – who one might expect to be on the side of local lad Brennan – jeered loudly.

Brennan read the room and bristled at the notion that Cronin was robbed.

“A close fight isn’t controversial. It has to go either way. He probably did the harder work on the inside but I was blocking a lot. And then the second I was getting to middle distance I was catching him with the one-two. I had the cleaner, clearer punches. It was a tight fight. But tight fights aren’t robberies, they have to go either way.

“He’s tough. No matter what you hit him with, he’s going to keep on coming.

“In terms of my professional career, it’s the best night of my life.”

Cronin was magnanimous in defeat, while also acknowledging the harsh nature of the outcome.

“Emmet, thank you for a great fight. Nothing but respect for you and your team after that.

“I’ll let you all have your own verdict on it but I couldn’t be prouder of what me and my team showed the world. I’m battered, bruised and heartbroken and have missed out on so much life with family and friends while chasing [this] opportunity. It just breaks my heart and I think I deserve a lot more from boxing.”

Calling for a rematch, Cronin’s manager Michael Conlon said the Kingdom Warrior should have won by two rounds.

Meanwhile, UFC CEO Dana White, who was sitting ringside (the event was live on UFC Fight Pass), said Cronin “clearly won”.

“I mean that's devastating for the kid's career. It's brutal. I don't even know if it deserves a rematch. If that was judged correctly, nobody would be screaming for a rematch. Cronin would be moving on to whatever he's going to do next if it was judged properly.

“I don't have the answers right now, but I believe Cronin won the fight.”

As for what comes next, Cronin has long been angling for a big fight on Kerry soil. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, he wrote: “The magnitude of a homecoming at this stage would be massive. Any stadium!”