Billy Joe Saunders produced another below-par display but did enough to ensure Martin Murray will forever be a world title bridesmaid.
The St Helens man fell short in his fifth and surely final attempt at the highest level as Saunders held on to his belt behind closed doors in London.
Saunders was in control throughout but struggled to move out of first gear and failed to deliver on his promise of a statement victory.
He did enough to convince the judges however who gave him the nod via scores of 120-109 (twice) and 118-110. In his previous world title challenges, Murray could justifiably claim to have been robbed against Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez at middleweight before running into a prime Gennady Golovkin.
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