Rio 2016: Britain's Muhammad Ali 'heartbroken' after Olympic boxing exit while Ireland's Katie Taylor bows out

It was a disappointing day for Britain and Ireland's boxers in Rio on day 10

Muhammad Ali of Great Britain fights Yoel Segundo Finol of Venezuala in the men's Flyweight 52kg (Getty)

There was a sad end to Katie Taylor's second Olympics when she lost a tight decision to Finland's Mira Potkonen in her opening campaign to retain her gold medal.

Taylor, who is now 30, had previously beaten Potkonen five times in five meetings, but under the neon in Rio she looked way short on form, tired and lost without much of a complaint. She finished in tears, tried to be philosophical but quickly rushed to her mother and collapsed on her shoulders.

"It was tight, that's life, that's what boxing can be like," insisted Taylor. "I should have beaten her - I should beat girls like her." Taylor has won five World titles, the European championship six times and boxers like Potkonen, who has had two children in the breaks from her own wanderings in various World championships, are usually pre-medal fodder for the Irish boxer.

There were, as expected, a lot of theories circulating once the fight was over, but the simple truth is that Taylor was out-hustled by an inferior boxer on a bad day and all domestic squabbles, disputes inside the Irish camp and any emotional baggage that Taylor has been dragging behind her should be rendered inconsequential. She lost because the other woman hit her more, that is boxing's basic rule and it is a sport that never listens or cares about outside influences.

Now Taylor, who also lost twice this year In hard fights, must go away, sit with the people that care about her and make a decision on her future. Right now she is the greatest female amateur boxer of all time, close to untouchable for a glorious decade, but that is a title she could lose if she fights on for the wrong reasons.

A few minutes after Taylor's exit the other Muhammad Ali stepped through the ropes for his first contest in the flyweight class Ali is just 20, looks about 12 but is a terrific little fighter and was drawn against the slick Venezuelan Yoel Finol.

It looked like Ali won a messy and scrappy fight, looked like he had landed enough punches, but the verdict went to Finol, who is only 19, and Ali, like Taylor, was inconsolable in defeat.

"It's heartbreaking for me, the end of ten years of dreaming about winning a gold medal," said Ali. "I have been out here for a month and I just wanted to get in the ring - perhaps I overtrained. I don't know what to say; it was messy and he was holding all the time, but I thought I deserved it."

Katie Taylor misses out (Getty)

Ali was the eighth member of Britain's team of 12 to lose and that means there is now no chance of equalling or improving on the five medals that the team of ten won in London four years ago. The target here in Rio is three, which looked a soft total before the savagery of the draw 48-hours before the first contest; in the messy procedure on that afternoon the hopes of the British team took blow after blow when the horror draw unfolded.

Ali had a decent draw, an easy draw in some ways, and his loss is the only one so far by a British boxer that has been controversial. The next few days, with Nicola Adams starting Tuesday, will be critical for the British boxers as they fight for personal medals and the sport fights for its high place in the funding table.