MATTHEW Hatton is set to appeal against his disqualification in Friday's British title eliminator against Alan Bosworth.

The 25-year-old Hyde boxer was controversially thrown out by referee Howard Foster with just over two minutes of the fight left, when he was clearly ahead on the scorecard, for "persistent infringement of the rules."

The Hatton camp reacted furiously to the decision, with trainer Billy Graham confronting Foster to tell him exactly what he thought, and brother and cornerman Ricky throwing his stool down in disgust.

Hatton had been warned for manhandling, use of the shoulder, hitting on the break, and for two low blows in the ninth round, for which he was deducted two points. When he hit Bosworth with a light punch on the referee's instruction to "step back" early in the tenth round, Foster awarded the fight to Northampton fighter Bosworth, who had not been pulled up for charging in with his head or for hitting after the bell.

Angry

Hatton's purse was withheld, but promoter Dennis Hobson is hoping to have it reinstated this week. He will also push for a re-match, and ask the board to keep Hatton's status as a contender for the British welterweight title.

Brother Ricky reacted angrily, saying: "It was a boxing match, and both fighters were at it. A referee should recognise that fact and let them get on with it.

"If Howard Foster had refereed my fight with Kostya Tszyu, he would have thrown both of us out by the fifth round, but the ref saw that when Tszyu hit me with a low blow, I got him back with one, and nobody had points deducted. That's boxing."

The Hattons were also upset by the conduct of Brendan Ingle and his son Dominic in Bosworth's corner, claiming they had helped to "con" the referee by getting their man to act up when he was hit with two borderline low blows.

"We will ask for a re-match but we won't be holding our breath," said Hatton's dad Ray.

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