By Edward Chaykovsky

WBO interim-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has rejected the claim being made by Jessie Vargas, who says Bradley admitted defeat after their contest on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

There was controversy at the end of fight, when referee Pat Russell heard the ten second signal during the twelfth round and thought it was the final bell. At that point he stopped the fight eight seconds early - but at the moment Russell had stopped the fight, Bradley was in trouble after being clipped by a right hand to the chin and Vargas was trying to knock him out.

When the fight was stopped, Vargas was celebrating when he believed was a TKO win. He even claims Bradley came over to him and admitted defeat by praising him and congratulating him on the victory.

"I thought I had knocked him out when the referee intervened. Bradley even came over and said I was a great champion, but then we got the result that Timothy won by unanimous decision," Vargas said.

Bradley disputes Vargas' version of what happened. He did come over to him but only to give him a compliment which Vargas took the wrong way.

"What? I said he's a great champion. I said he has nothing to be ashamed of, he is a great champion at 140. 'You can go back down to 140 and reign at 140 and be a champion there. No [I didn't say he won], he took that the wrong way. I was giving him a compliment because he fought a good fight," Bradley said.