Confrontational scenes post-fight for dejected Junaid Bostan after controversial draw

His demeanour illustrated the fact that he wasn't going to bring the English title back to Rotherham...well, not yet anyway.

He and his opponent Bilal Fawaz had traded punches for ten rounds, with the judges unable to form anything resembling a mutual agreement.

Ringside, the split-decision draw came as a shock.

Eastwood's Junaid (22) had been holding his hand in the air in expectation of a victory only to hear the judges' numbers: Mark Bates, 95-95, Kieran McCann 93-97 (for Fawaz) and Marcus McDonnell 96-94.

Junaid sunk to his knees. Their adjudication had brought a sequence of ten straight wins to an end.

Tellingly, perhaps, Bostan's promoter Eddie Hearn confessed he thought Fawaz had finished so strongly that he'd actually deserved the belt.

That will fuel the South Yorkshireman's fire as Matchroom negotiate a re-match which Bostan wants to host in Sheffield.

Friday's contest at the O2 Indigo, London, had started brightly for Bostan and he carried the early rounds, but the London-based Bilal rallied and looked much more of a threat as the fight progressed.

Neither did enough to win, though.

After the numbing disappointment of a tie, Bostan certainly appeared the most frustrated of the two.

He also seemed rattled by Fawaz's media summation: "I feel like I did enough but the judges did not see it that way. Even a blind man can see that he (Bostan) was outboxed, he was outworked.

"He is a great fighter but I am better," added the 36-year-old, which felt a tad awkward with the Rotherham man stood by his side.

In response, Bostan, with a graze above his left eye and one below his right, commented: "It was a close fight, could have gone either way."

But then irritation appeared to jar Junaid's normally cool mindset: "Talking is easily done. I will show who the better fighter is on the day," he snapped.

"I could come up with a million reasons as to why I should have done better. No excuses: Junaid Bostan should have been better on the night. "A draw? If it ain't a win, in my head, it's a loss."

The Steel City prospect said he was determined the belt will ultimately be his.

"I am not giving up on that English title," he said, then directing a barb at his opponent, added: "This is the highlight of his career, in my opinion."

That wasn't the end of it. Bilal blurted back: "I killed your spirit."

Warding off boos from Rotherham followers in the crowd, Bilal went on: "Everyone can see the performance. You were outboxed, you know that." By now, Junaid appeared ready to start scrapping again, disputing he'd been mentally undone.

For promoter Hearn, though, the tie means another pay day.

Hearn said: "I always back our guys but I thought Bilal edged the fight 6-4, if I am honest, but it was a very close fight.

"One thing is for sure this fight has to happen again.”

When the dust settled, one thing was clear.

While it was a below-par night at the office for Bostan, he is still undefeated and will be training hard over the next few weeks for a grudge re-match that will make even more compelling viewing.

And maybe the disappointment of a draw will be good for him in the long-run...reinforcing the notion that top-class fighters always have to bring their A game.

Certainly Fawaz is in Bostan's sights. The South Yorkshireman told him: "I’ll see you again soon."