By Keith Idec

Maurice Hooker didn’t expect to leave the ring Saturday night with the WBO junior welterweight title.

The Dallas native knew he had out-boxed Terry Flanagan in their 12-round, 140-pound title bout and deserved the victory.

Hooker just didn’t think he would win a decision in Flanagan’s hometown of Manchester, England.

Two judges proved him wrong, however, as Hooker defeated the favored Flanagan by split decision and returned to the United States a world champion. England’s Phil Edwards (117-111) and South Africa’s Deon Dwarte (115-113) scored their competitive championship match for Hooker, who lost on the scorecard of Illinois’ Jerry Jakubco (117-111).

“I thought they were gonna rob me,” Hooker told BoxingScene.com. “I was over there in England and I thought they were gonna give the fight to him, just because he’s from there and he’s one of the main guys there.”

The 28-year-old Hooker (24-0-3, 16 KOs) was more than pleasantly surprised when the scores were read following just his second fight outside the United States and his debut in the United Kingdom.

“When I got the decision, I couldn’t believe it,” said Hooker, who would only give Flanagan a rematch in the United States. “I was in shock, that they gave me a fair chance and that the judges called the right call. I couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream come true.”

The 29-year-old Flanagan (33-1, 13 KOs), a former WBO lightweight champ, was a heavy favorite over Hooker entering Flanagan’s move up to the 140-pound limit. The previously unbeaten southpaw had difficulty dealing with Hooker’s height and reach, though, and couldn’t hurt his opponent in the main event at Manchester Arena.

“The game plan was to go in there and do me, make him adjust to me and fight my fight, not his fight,” Hooker said. “I blocked the crowd out and did what I had to do to come out with the win.”

Hooker won the WBO 140-pound championship Terence Crawford vacated last year to move up to the welterweight division.

Hooker trained alongside Crawford for the Flanagan fight in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Crawford (33-0, 24 KOs) won the WBO welterweight title by stopping Australia’s Jeff Horn (18-1-1, 12 KOs) in the ninth round Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.