MICHAEL Gomez pleaded with his conqueror Carl Johanneson to give him a re-match after his courageous British title bid ended in bloody defeat.

The 30-year-old Irish Mancunian, attempting to win the super-featherweight title for a record third time, was controversially stopped in the sixth round of a brutal encounter at Doncaster Dome.

Gomez argued that referee Mickey Vann had been premature in waving it off after he had climbed from the canvas for the second time in the fight.

"It was bad refereeing - I told him I was all right straight away, and before the fight I had asked Mickey to give me full opportunity, given how tough I am and what I have done in the past when I've got up to win.

"I am a warrior, and always come through a bad patch in my fights. I was dropped twice by Lazslo Bognar and came back to win. I just hope that Carl gives me another chance. When the stoppage came, I wasn't wobbling or staggering, and I only dropped my hand to show him he couldn't hurt me."

Gomez looked a likely victor in the early rounds, pressuring the Leeds fighter from the off, and landing uppercuts and body shots almost at will.

Gutsy

But once the gutsy Johanneson got his boxing together, the tide turned. Gomez' trainer Bobby Rimmer believes that Gomez showed he still has enough left to challenge for titles.

"Mickey is a very good referee, but I thought the stoppage was premature," he said. "We have been training hard for 12 weeks to get Michael through patches like that in the fight.

"Now we just hope that Carl can go and beat Kevin Mitchell in his next fight and give Michael another chance."

MATTHEW Hatton warmed up for his Las Vegas appearance next month by forcing Finland's Samuli Leppiaho to retire at the end of the sixth of a scheduled eight rounds in Dublin.

Now the younger of the boxing Hyde brothers will begin preparation for a slot on the undercard of Ricky's showdown with Floyd Mayweather on December 8, ahead of a possible English title "derby" match against Failsworth's Craig Watson in the New Year.

Droyslden's 19-year-old Prince Arron lost against John Duddy in the bill-topper, but earned the respect of the rising Irish star.

Arron stepped in at a few days' notice after Duddy's original opponent pulled out, and was downed in the first round and then twice more in the second by a man who is tipped to take on middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik next year.

"He's a brave customer," said Duddy afterwards.

The Hattons' stablemate Matthew Macklin, the Irish middleweight champion, who had Ricky working his corner, stopped Italian Alessio Furlan to take his career record to 20 wins and two losses.

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