Paddy Barnes' disappointment is palpable after his early exit from the Rio 2016 Games.
But while most people on Twitter were sympathetic, the two-time bronze medalist was also criticised by some users for his Twitter activity prior to his fight against Samuel Carmona Heredia.
He and Michael Conlan had some fun in the lead-up to the Games online - sometimes at Rory McIlroy's expense (although the golfer did seem to take it in his stride and appeared to see the funny side).
But reaction online wasn't always positive towards Barnes in the aftermath of his defeat:
@NewstalkSport waste of a ticket who's laughing now Rory or paddy
— john g mcgrath (@macthenews) August 8, 2016
@McIlroyRory @paddyb_ireland @mickconlan11 seems like the boxing isn't as good as the tweeting...
— Adam Wood (@agw1984) August 8, 2016
Paddy Barnes must've been exhausted after taking too many selfies with other famous athletes. #Rio2016
— Pedro (@JiiiveTurkeyyy) August 8, 2016
But many more rallied around the Belfast fighter:
Hard luck @paddyb_ireland. You have a career to be very proud of & will still have a positive influence on the rest of the team #TeamIreland
— Colin Griffin (@colingriffin) August 8, 2016
Not a boxing fan, but people giving paddy Barnes crap are idiots. He laced up his gloves to represent his country. #respect
— Del Walsh (@del_boi16) August 8, 2016
Keyboard warriors out in force today. Fact remains @paddyb_ireland is one of Ireland's greatest ever Olympians!
— Orla McElhone (@orlamac) August 8, 2016
Anyway, Paddy Barnes is a Legend of Irish sport and always will be! Done a lot more for Ireland than most ever will! #UpBarnes #Legend
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) August 8, 2016
Those goading Paddy Barnes over his tweets are probably the same people who complain about athletes' reluctance to reveal a personality.
— Paul Dollery (@PaulDollery) August 8, 2016
💔 for Paddy Barnes... And even more 💔 for anyone who thinks he lost because of a few tweets... Stay classy, Twitter 🙄
— Amanda Connolly (@tweets_amanda) August 8, 2016
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
