Femi Fehintola's British title bid ended in tears but not disgrace at Barnsley last night.

The bookies, who had made him a lengthy 8/1 underdog, got it right as champion Carl Johanneson safely held on to his super-featherweight title belt in the West Yorkshire derby.

Johanneson's heavy hands were just too strong and powerful for the gutsy challenger, who sobbed into trainer Richard Poxon's shoulder after referee Howard Foster had seen enough.

Four times Fehintola was put down by the Leeds man before the end came midway through the sixth round.

But given the massive step up in class he was taking, it had still been a gutsy effort from the challenger. And he will surely bounce back from this first loss as a pro.

The pre-fight stats told the story of the gulf in experience. Johanneson was in his 27th fight and had already clocked up 17 stoppage wins - this was Fehintola's 15th outing with the solitary early finish in Monte Carlo at the beginning of the year.

But Fehintola still believed that he could pull off an upset.

His most realistic hope was to take the fight to Johanneson and not give him the time to plant his feet and unload those heavy bombs.

And for the first two rounds it worked a treat as Fehintola's nagging accuracy with his jab thwarted the champion and kept him shuffling uncomfortably.

The Bradford Moor battler, who had plenty of support of his own, probably did enough to win both. His chance was there, providing Johanneson couldn't connect big.

One mighty shot whistled past his ear as an early warning sign at the start of the third before the champion finally found the target, nailing Fehintola with a short left hook to the forehead.

Down he went and the whole mood of the fight changed in an instant.

Johanneson sensed blood and attacked again - and had Fehintola sinking once more with a crunching blow to the gut. The challenger angrily claimed that it was a low blow but TV replays showed it was a perfect shot.

Fehintola was up against it but showed real heart to launch some counter-offensives of his own. He needed that one big punch to smash Johanneson out of his stride but instead it was Fehintola once again on the canvas midway through the fifth after another ripping right hook.

He was up on seven and lived to fight another round - at least for half of it.

A left cross floored him for the fourth time and Fehintola groggily regained his senses.

He bravely soldiered on but the end was quickly in sight. Johanneson pinned him to his own corner, unloading at will, and Poxon threw in the towel to spare his fighter any more pain.