Madan Lal's (52kg) campaign at the AIBA World Boxing Championships came to an end in his very first bout in the competition that began in Almaty, Kazakhstan Monday.
The 21-year-old, competing in his first world championships, put up a good show but came up short against Moldova's Alexandros Riscan.
Both the boxers were equally matched and started strongly in the opening round of the fly weight division. Lal, a gold medallist at the Limassol Boxing Cup in Cyprus, came close to taking the advantage on many occasions.
But the clever strategy of Alexandros, with the right balance of attack and defence, helped him win the bout on a unanimous decision. The scores were 28:29, 28:29 and 28:29 in favour of the Moldova boxer.
Lal, who has shown promise in the domestic circuit, has not been able to perform consistently in the international arena. He had lost in the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Championships earlier this year.
The Indian camp will be looking for a better result on day two of the Championships Tuesday when Vikash Malik (60kg) takes on Meder Mamakeev of Kyrgyzstan.