CONTROVERSIAL scoring led to the downfall of York’s amateur boxing ace Lee Stewart.
The 19-year-old from Clifton was vying to reach his second novices National Amateur Boxing Association semi-finals in as many years only for his all-action advance to be checked by Midlands ABA champion Paul Amiss of Birmingham Amateur Boxing Club.
Stewart, the recently-crowned Yorkshire & Humberside lightweight champion, who reached last year’s national featherweight semi-finals, finished on the wrong end of a 7-5 points verdict, though many of the spectators at the Retford venue believed the York fighter to have comfortably won.
Throughout the event Stewart was the classier boxer and was ahead at the end of the first round by a point.
His trainers and supporters were convinced he had stretched that advantage at the end of the second round, but just before the bell to signal the final round the scores inexplicably showed he was behind.
When the verdict was announced in favour of Amiss, Stewart was not alone in being downhearted, though he is hoping for a quick return to winning action when he gets back to representing Hunslet ABC this weekend.
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