Kenneth Egan feels the difficulty in cutting weight down to 49 kilos was the over-riding factor which led to Paddy Barnes' defeat in his opening fight in Rio.
The two-time Olympic bronze medallist cited that issue himself after being eliminated by Spain's Samuel Carmona Heredia in today's bout.
Speaking to Off The Ball, Egan noticed that Barnes was struggling as early as the opening round.
"When he sat down after the first round, I just saw his chest just deflated and he let out a massive gasp of air and that's not like Paddy Barnes. That's not the Paddy Barnes I know," he said, before detailing the weight cut issue which affected the Belfast fighter.
"It's getting harder and harder for Paddy to make that weight. It's a killer for him. I know him, I've been in camp with him. For the last couple of days of camp and into competition, he's like a man possessed. He won't talk, he won't laugh, he won't smile, he won't socialise. He turns into a demon and it's a killer for him. That's the hardest part of his game, making the weight."
Egan added that many "fights can be lost on the scales" and that Barnes would be superior to his Spanish opponent when it comes to experience and boxing prowess if the weight issue had not been a factor.
Egan also touched on the social media reaction towards Barnes after the defeat including the negative tweets aimed at the fighter.
"I went to Twitter after the fight and you have all these couch potatoes slagging him and giving him stick because he was going round getting a few selfies and that. He's at the Olympic games. He can do what he wants. He's earned his place," he said, adding that having fun is vital as part of reducing tension ahead of events.
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