IAIN Trotter was “heartbroken” after he lost his unbeaten professional record and missed out on the Scottish middleweight title in Glasgow on Saturday.

Trotter was first in the ring at the SSE Hydro but the man from Haddington never got going against Glasgow’s Marc Kerr.

Early in the first round, the former Knox Academy pupil suffered a nasty cut above his right eye and that appeared to affect his performance throughout the bout.

Eventually, referee Kenny Pringle stepped in and called it off in the third round, much to Trotter’s immediate disappointment.

The disappointment was evident on the face of the 24-year-old, while there were tears from his girlfriend Nicole Turner, who sat ringside with Trotter’s parents watching the bout.

Immediately afterwards, a dejected Trotter (pictured inset, by Jennifer Charlton) spoke to Courier Sport.

He said: “I’ve not even really got words to be honest. I’m just heartbroken. It’s a massive setback.

“I should never be getting beat from someone like that, but I have been regardless of the cut and that’s on my record forever now.”

Trotter said that his 27-year-old opponent, from Glasgow, brought no surprises, adding: “He was everything we thought he would be but he deserved to win.”

And he revealed that the cut he suffered as a result of a clash of heads in round one caused him major problems, while he also picked up a broken nose.

Trotter said: “I was struggling to see to be honest.

“I actually thought he was starting to get tired and in all honesty I was fine in the first round. I knew I was cut, then in the second I noticed it get worse and by the third round I couldn’t really see out of my right eye.

“The referee was warning me for dabbing it but I was just making it worse.”

The Haddington man was visibly annoyed when referee Pringe stopped the contest, but after some reflection told Courier Sport: “It was sensible and safety comes first – he was starting to tire but it was probably the right decision to stop it.

“There are no hard feelings to [the referee] or Marc Kerr, I’ve shaken his hand and he deserved to win.

“I’ve just got to take it on the chin and move on.”

Trotter was unsure what his next step would be but has vowed to bounce back from a first career defeat when he does make his return to action.

“It’s too early to say what happens next, I just need to wait and see,” he said.

“I know I’ve broken my nose but I’ll speak to Billy [Nelson, trainer] and just see.

“My family have just said they’re proud of me but it’s all just words trying to comfort me, which is nice, but my mission was to win the Scottish and I’ve failed at that.”