Quigg hits back to defend title

Arthur unhappy with referee after being stopped on his feet in eighth

Scott Quigg climbed off the floor to defend the British super-bantamweight title and maintain his unbeaten record with an eighth-round stoppage of Jamie Arthur in Bolton on Saturday.

After a cagey opening three rounds, the contest came alive in the fourth when Quigg was floored by a left hook.

Quigg was straight back on his feet and survived the remainder of the round, mainly in defensive mode.

Having regrouped, the Bury fighter took control and gradually wore down Arthur, landing regularly from both flanks, mainly with single shots.

A cut appeared close to Arthur's right eye in the seventh and referee Mark Green stepped in to stop the contest after 35 seconds of the eighth when the Wales-based veteran spun away and briefly turned his back after Quigg found the target with a left hook to the body.

Green's intervention came with Quigg charging in to try and finish the job but Arthur felt the referee had acted prematurely.

Possible rematch

"It was a good shot to the solar plexus, I was off balance and stood up to get a bit of wind into me," Arthur told Sky Sports.

"When he pulled me out I was turned on my side, my shoulder was already (facing) towards the referee. I'm just disappointed, I put him down in the fourth and it was turning into an absolute barnstormer of a fight."

Quigg, who now boasts a 24-0 record after making a successful first defence of the British title he won against Jason Booth last October, is willing to consider a rematch.

"He caught me square on with a flash knockdown, I got up and kept my composure," he said.

"If he feels disappointed about the result I'd gladly give him a rematch otherwise we'll have to sit down and see what options there are."

source:http://www1.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/7485457/Quigg-hits-back-to-defend-title