YORK Thai boxer Richard Cadden has been fighting to clear his name after being accused of possibly biting an opponent's ear - just like Mike Tyson.

His bout against Walter Scott was deemed a no-contest after the Manchester battler suffered a split ear in the fifth and final round, with the contest eventually abandoned because of the amount of blood.

Two of the three judges said they saw a clear knee to the head - a perfectly legal technique.

However, the third judge and Scott's corner claimed the injury would probably have been caused by either a bite or an illegal elbow strike.

However, Cadden today rubbished those claims and said Scott should have admitted defeat.

"It was clean and fair knee - I remember the distinct shot," he told the Evening Press.

"It split the top of his ear and, because of the severity of the wound that he sustained, his corner were of the opinion that it must have been an illegal technique.

"They did not see the knee go in and so dived to the assumption that I must have elbowed him or bit him.

"I am of the opinion that he could have admitted to his corner that it was a clean knee and that he could have admitted defeat honourably.

"But he just went with what his corner said and took victory away from me.

"I'm not very happy about it at all. I'd put in eight weeks of training, but the controversy has narked me a bit."

There was a five-minute delay to proceedings as video tapes of the incident were replayed. However, they proved inconclusive, with a no-contest verdict the outcome.

"It had been a really good fight," added the Acomb fighter.

"He was strong in the clinch but I was working my kicking techniques and, though he tried to use his grappling, I was beating him in open play.

"In the fourth round he caught my kick and swept my leg and while I was on the floor he kicked me.

"I was not very happy about it but came out for the last and decided to take the fight to him.

"I upped the tempo and when I did that he could not take the pace."

The fight had been scheduled to be a prestige bout under full Thai rules, in which elbows and knees to the head are allowed.

However, on the day of the fight, they were changed so that elbows to the head were not allowed.

No immediate rematch is being planned.

Updated: 11:16 Saturday, March 02, 2002