Matthew Marsh is taking a break from boxing to heal the cut which cost him the British super-bantamweight championship, when he had victory in his grasp in Nottingham on Friday night. The east Londoner looked a certainty to win back the belt he relinquis

Matthew Marsh is taking a break from boxing to heal the cut which cost him the British super-bantamweight championship, when he had victory in his grasp in Nottingham on Friday night.

The east Londoner looked a certainty to win back the belt he relinquished last year, as well as the vacant Commonwealth crown from Jason Booth, when he suffered the gash above the right eye.

As the blood poured down Marsh's face, referee John Keane called off proceedings in the 11th round.

British champion Booth admitted he needed the stoppage, with two of the three judges at ringside having the challenger ahead by two and three rounds respectively.

"I had him (Marsh) in front," the 32-year old Booth sportingly admitted afterwards.

"He had a good game plan - nice and fast, picking me off. I thought he was ahead when he suffered the cut - but that's boxing."

TKO Gym fighter Marsh was sad-faced as he admitted: "I will have to take a rest because of the cut, but I will be back training hard for the return contest, I have been promised."

The unlucky loser received words of encouragement from promoter Frank Maloney: "There should definitely be a rematch. I think Matthew deserves it," he said. "It was one of the best British title fights I've seen in years."

The challenger shook the hot favourite by the way he took early control of the 12-round title fight with the sharper attacks that never allowed Booth to settle.

The champion, who also suffered a cut eye in the opening round, fell further behind as Marsh controlled the action - and the Midlander was floored by a sharp attack in the fifth round.

To his credit, the Nottingham fighter, cheered on by his enthusiastic fan following at his local hall, climbed up off the floor to narrow the gap in the following rounds.

However, it looked like the TKO fighter would be bringing the title home before the injury that ended his bid with little more than a round remaining.

PEACOCK GYM-TRAINED Shanee Martin returned home from Japan after her third attempt to claim a world title failed at the World Memorial Hall, Kobe, on Sunday.

She suffered a points defeat against Tenkai Tsunami in their clash for the WBA women's super flyweight title, with all three judges casting their votes in favour of the local boxer.

At the end of the 10-round contest, Judge Stanley Christodoulou scored Shanee a loser by 100-90, judge Pasquale Procopio 100-90 and judge Glenn Feldman 99-91.

Shanee, 28, with just one contest in over two years, had been forced to travel abroad for her previous world title attempts, losing in Germany and Hungary against local favourites.