James Hare will spend Christmas deciding whether to carry on with professional boxing after losing his comeback fight.

The Roberttown rocket was bitterly disappointed to be out-pointed over six rounds by Robert Lloyd Taylor in London last week.

Taylor was the type of opponent the 30-year-old welterweight would have brushed off in his pomp - and Hare admits the shock defeat has left him with some serious thinking to do.

"I'll leave a decision until after Christmas but I have to consider whether I want to continue boxing," he said. "I don't want to rush into anything.

"Fighters do change through their career and I'm not the same person. Maybe I'm not the same fighter I was a couple of years ago although I wouldn't say that I was shot.

"I felt in good nick going into the fight and I didn't expect to lose. If they had put it over eight rounds I think I might have won but I'm not making any excuses.

"Obviously a win would have put me back in the picture for the British title but I don't know what's going to happen now. And I honestly don't know what I want to do."

He underwent keyhole surgery in his left shoulder this time last year - and admitted that there had been one or two twinges in the build-up to York Hall. But it did not bother him during the fight.

Hare has never been one for bullish predictions in a sport full of trash talk outside the ring. Even during his prime, like the night he destroyed Ukrainian hardman Roman Dzuman to lift the WBF belt in 2003, he was reluctant to acknowledge the praise from ringside experts that it had been a stunning display.

Ever the perfectionist, he would carefully scrutinise his performances and single out the areas that needed improving.

Hare, the former undefeated Commonwealth champion, had lost only twice in 36 previous pro outings before last week but there was no disgrace with either.

Hard-hitting Mexican Cosme Rivera, six months after Dzuman, proved one dangerous fight too many in a hectic year and 12 months later his bid for the domestic crown was ended by an inspired David Barnes, boxing out of his skin, in Halifax.

But this third loss to the unheralded Lloyd Taylor will have the critics questioning whether the appetite is still there.

After nearly 11 years in the paid ranks, Hare is not sure of the answer.

He added: "There is an argument for me to get straight back in and box again as soon as possible. I won the last couple of rounds against Taylor and maybe I'd carry on from where I left off.

"But I don't know if that would be the right thing to do. I'd put myself through all the same emotions and there's no guarantee I'd be in the right frame of mind.

"I think the best thing for me is to take some time to think things over."