Booth given split decision win at Brentwood. 6 February 2011

Jamie Arthur gave it absolutely everything in his big fight with Jason Booth for the British and Super Bantamweight title, but it ended with a split decision win going to Jason Booth.

Two judges scored 115-113 and 117-112 in Jason’s favour, meaning he narrowly triumphed in the unification clash. Jamie, 31, keeping his range and working off his jab, negated Jason Booth’s counter-punching early on. But Jason Booth, 33, fought with increasing belief, landing the more solid blows, as the bout descended into a scrap.

Jamie with a five-inch height advantage, picked his punches and moved around the ring with authority in the first four rounds. After three rounds Booth had been roundly out-boxed, but the complexion of the fight altered in the fifth as both men sustained accidental cuts to the eye through clashes of heads.

The increasingly nip-and-tuck affair was suiting Booth better and Jamie picked up a second eye gash - this time on his left side - as the head clashes continued and tactics were seemingly abandoned.

Both men gave everything to deliver a gripping finale. Jamie withstood a vicious right-hand in the 10th to battle on gallantly to the end but he could only persuade one judge, who scored him 115-114, that he had done enough as Jason Booth took the honours by the narrowest of margins.