Troy Isley's journey from the amatuer to the pros and back to the amateurs ends with a heartbreaking defeat. 

The Top Rank-signed middleweight from Alexandria, Virginia came up just short in a Round of 16 bout with number-two seed Gleb Bakshi, dropping a disputed split decision.

Isley won by scores of 29-28 and 29-28 on two cards, trumped by tallies of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 for Bakshi in a competitive affair Thursday at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.

Isley was competitive every step of the way in the opening round, not running but also not remaining directly in the punching range of the taller Bakshi. Both fighters looked to work the body, Isley enjoying his best sequences of the round during those moments while Bakshi landed cleaner combinations upstairs.

The judges were torn on who won, with three going to Bakshi and two to Isley. 

Most of the action in round two took place at center ring. Isley was the busier fighter for much of the round, while Bakshi was twice warned for leading with his head. However, it was once again the combination punching from the number-two seed that caught the eye of four of the five judges. 

Still, the fight was very much on the table heading into the final three minutes. 

Isley fought accordingly, letting his hands go on the inside while Bakshi was a little bit slower to the punch. Bakshi was repeatedly warned for unintentional fouls though never to the point of losing a point. Isley continued to offer rapid fire combinations, the difference in hand speed overwhelmingly in his favor. 

The last 30 seconds of the fight perhaps cost Isley the fight, spending most of that stretch with his back against the ropes. Bakshi—who fought through a welt under his left eye—looked to seize the moment. 

Because of the way the bout was scored to that point, Bakshi managed the win despite only winning the third on two of the five cards. It broke the right way for him, as he was far enough ahead on one card that had Isley winning round three to where he still found a way to pull out the win.

Isley is the first U.S. male to suffer a defeat in Tokyo. USA is now 8-3 overall in Olympic competition with two more fights scheduled for Thursday afternoon. The men's team is 6-1. 

Meanwhile, Bakshi runs the ROC team's record to 8-3 in Tokyo, including a perfect 7-0 for the men. Bakshi will next face Haiti's Darrelle Valsaint Jr. in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox