LONDON — Michael Gomez Jnr was denied the British and Commonwealth lightweight titles after being held to a contentious majority draw against champion Louie O'Doherty at The O2 Arena, with judges scoring the bout 115-114 to Gomez and 114-114 twice.
Gomez, 31, now 13-2-1 (8 KOs), controlled the early rounds after moving up from 130lbs and looked a different fighter at lightweight. The challenger used his size advantage to bully the short and stocky champion, pushing O'Doherty back and landing at will with short hooks and the right hand. O'Doherty, 26, fought back on the inside but could not match Gomez's work-rate and power, with Gomez answering every shot with three of his own in one-way traffic for much of the contest.
The champion pushed back late as Gomez eased off in the championship rounds, apparently confident he was well ahead, and out-worked him down the stretch. Gomez ran around the ring in celebration at the final bell, but boos echoed around the arena when the majority draw was announced, with few at ringside believing O'Doherty had done enough. Gomez left the ring immediately in disgust, while O'Doherty, now 12-0-1 (3 KOs), remains undefeated and appeared to know he had got away with one.
On the undercard, rising heavyweight Adam Olaniyan moved to 5-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Dan Garber at 4:45 of the second round. The 20-year-old rocked the 41-year-old Garber late in the opener before dropping him early in the second with a right hand. Garber's corner threw the towel in, but referee Amy Pu kicked it out and allowed the bout to continue, only for Olaniyan to drop Garber again moments later with another right. The towel came in a second time and Pu waved the contest off. Garber falls to 14-10 (2 KOs).