By Alexey Sukachev

City Academy Sports Centre, Bristol, Avon - Bantamweight Lee Haskins (28-3, 12 KOs), a hero of Bristol and a local idle, was pushed hard and forced to work with dedication against multi-time national and Commonwealth champion (in four weight classes) Jason Booth (37-12, 15 KOs), getting a hard-fought unanimous decision over twelve rounds to retain his Lonsdale belt. Official scores were: 119-111 (Phil Edwards), 118-111 (Jeff Hinds) and 117-112 (Howard John Foster). Referee in the ring was Richie Davis. BoxingScene also had it 116-112 - for the defending champ.

WBC #5 and IBF #15 Haskins was a pre-fight favorite. Booth, 36, on the other hand, in dark twilights of his 17-year long career, was making a comeback to a lighter weight division, as he has been fighting over the last five years at 122 lbs. Once being just a couple of rounds away from defeating IBF super bantamweight champion Steve Molitor (MD 12 loss in September 2010), Booth is just 2-5 since that, with five consecutive losses and a pitiful decision over 4-25 opponent earlier this year. The veteran boxer started accordingly, losing one round after another to the champion, seven years his junior. Haskin was boxing with his hands down, looking to emulate the prime version of Sergio Martinez and was successful doing that for the first three rounds.

Booth aggressively fought back and stalked Haskins in the fourth to take it, but Haskins came back with combinations of his own one round later. The sixth was a catastrophe for the champion as Booth found some holes in his defense and penetrated it with visible ease, landing a number of heavy bombs. He took the seventh as well, but then Haskins started to work better on his feet, moving laterally against a plodding foe. Booth was more active, but Haskins was sharper to take the next three. In the eleventh stanza both boxers tried their best to break the flow of the fight. While Haskins ate more leather, Booth suffered a deep gash over his right eyebrow. Finally, in the twelfth the challenger did better during the opening minute but was momentarily wobbled soon thereafter and was lucky not to taste the canvas before the final bell. Good win for Haskins but Booth has nothing to be ashamed of.