BOUNCEBACKABILITY. It's been the buzz-word of Premiership football this season.

Yet few sportsmen can surely have shown a greater capacity to recover from adversity than Southampton boxer Matthew Barney.

And he will need all of his steely resolve and determination in the forthcoming weeks to get over the disappointment of Saturday night.

The 30-year-old produced probably the finest performance of his career, only to be on the receiving end of easily the most frustrating result.

He felt he had gone to the backyard of German European champion Thomas Ulrich and given him a painful lesson in the sweet science of boxing, only to be left with a sickening feeling in his stomach.

It's been the story of his boxing career.

Barney's greatest night came when with just 48 hours notice he defeated Portsmouth's Tony Oakey for the WBU world light-heavyweight title.

But he then vacated that title and the British crown as he struggled to find a suitable opponent.

Next he went after the European crown, knowing victory over the highly-rated Ulrich would propel him to the top end of the world rankings.

Barney was happy to travel to Germany for the fight and has spent the past six months being messed around as the champion agreed dates and then kept pulling out at the last minute.

On Saturday, he finally got his chance.

It was a predictably intimidating atmosphere inside the Erdgas Arena in the small town of Riesa, Germany, but Barney seems to thrive in such circumstances and comfortably out-boxed Ulrich early in the fight.

"I just kept moving and jabbing and he couldn't keep up with me at all," he said.

"He was planting his feet and trying to throw punches but I wasn't there when he tried to hit me."

Ulrich did improve in the closing stages, but still struggled to land clear punches.

It appeared Barney had done enough and the Southampton man confidently raised his arms on the final bell.

"I know it is not easy to beat the champion in his own backyard, but I thought I would get the decision because I won the fight so clearly," said Barney.

"The German television people were apparently saying in the last round that he needed a knockout to win.

"If I was being generous, I would say he might have won two or three rounds.

"I totally dominated the start of the fight. He won maybe the eighth and the twelfth and really that was it.

"Lots of people came up to me and said that I definitely won the fight. Some people said I had won every round."

Yet it was not to be as Ulrich received a unanimous points decision.

Barney's disappointment was understandable.

He had taken six months away from work to prepare for this opportunity, but he now believes his excellent performance against a genuinely world-class opponent could make it harder to get the fights he wants.

"He is the top five in all the world rankings so I can take something from my performance," said Barney.

"He is a level up from anyone I had fought before - he is genuine world class, but I proved that I can box at the level.

"I don't know what will happen next. Who will want to fight me? I will box anyone anywhere. I would like a rematch but I don't think he will."