Horne, the reigning European champion, was on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline in his opening bout with the American at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard.

The German will hope for a better performance when he travels to represent his country at the European Games in Minsk, which began with the Opening Ceremony yesterday.

Irr went on to lose in the quarter-finals, where he was beaten by Canada's Daniel Gaysinsky, who overcame Simone Marino 5-4 to reach the final.

His opponent will be Turkey’s Alparslan Yamanoglu, who edged out Iran’s Sajad Ganzjadeh.

Jovana Preković of Serbia, world champion in the women's under-61kg division, had no such trouble as she progressed to the gold medal bout.

The Serbian star defeated home karateka Haya Jumaa, the world number six, in the last four.

The tournament continues tomorrow.