The Bermondsey welterweight on his close-call defeat by Ekow Essuman for the British, Commonwealth, IBF European and WBC international silver titles in Manchester.
Now the dust has settled, what’s your verdict on the 114-114, 113-116, 114-115 result?
I believe I won the fight. I felt I was in total control at the start and I don’t think I was ever in trouble against him. I lost rounds but I came back and I did enough to win.
What’s it like standing there waiting to hear and then feeling the scoring wasn’t right?
It’s a tense feeling at the end when you’re on edge and hear the words ‘majority decision’. Honestly, a draw would have been fair. I feel the 116-113 scorecard should have been in my favour, I don’t get it.
Do you think Essuman will want to go for it?
I feel a rematch can happen. It was a hard fight for him, although he did come back into it. Is it a fight he will want? I don’t know but hopefully Sky Sports and my promoters will make an offer high enough for him to want to do it again.
Do you feel you can bounce back and reach the top of the division?
I have to wait and see what my promoter has in store for me. The Essuman fight was one that proved I belong at this level and above the British level scene.
What did Boxxer chief Ben Shalom say to you in the aftermath of the losss?
He felt I won too and did what I had to do to get the verdict. Ben asked me straight away if I was up for the rematch and I just said ‘most definitely’. The rematch would be my choice next and then I can move on from there. All I want is Essuman right now. We will push for that.
Chris Eubank Jr’s defeat by Liam Smith was top of the bill but do you feel your fight was the one that captured the fans’ imagination?
That was probably the best fight of the night – everyone enjoyed it. Ninety per cent of fans will surely want to see it happen again, like with Carl Froch and George Groves, there needs to be a second fight. But I wouldn’t want to see another Eubank Jr v Smith…
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