Boxing: Cook salvages his reputation in ring

The farce of Friday night's weigh-in when local idol Jason Cook was stripped of his European lightweight title as he stood naked on the scales because he was overweight was forgotten 24 hours later when he entered the ring at the Bridgend Leisure Centre.

Cook was in a no-win situation. He was challenging for the same European title but he knew that if he beat Italy's Stefano Zoff he would not receive the belt. The weigh-in, the capacity crowd of 2,000 and the fight's bizarre status combined to create one of British boxing's oddest nights.

In the second round Cook was dropped by a straight jab. Every round was fought at a relentless pace that few predicted considering the reality of the outcome. Zoff, a former champion, rallied from the ninth and had Cook in trouble in the 11th and when the final bell tolled it was impossible to hear because of the mayhem inside the venue. Zoff waited for the verdict which he believed he deserved, knowing that if his hand was raised he would leave with the title, but the split decision went to Cook and the title was left vacant.

Now Zoff and his handlers will lobby the European Boxing Union for another fight but it is unlikely that they will want a second bruising encounter with Cook. The most plausible scenario is a fight against Russia's Yuri Romanov.

Cook, meanwhile, has to consider his future and he may decide that a move to light- welterweight, a weight gain of five pounds, will suit him better.

After the fiasco at the weigh-in it was revealed that the British Boxing Board of Control had monitored Cook's weight. After Christmas he was 10st 8lb, 10 days ago he was 10st 3lb and then 48 hours before the official weigh-in he was 9st 13lb. At the official weigh-in he was two pounds over the 9st 9lb limit.

On Saturday Cook salvaged his reputation with his performance in the ring but his lack of professionalism outside the ropes is something that he will have to correct because at 27 he still has a few years left in the business.

* The World Boxing Association welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga added the World Boxing Council title by becoming the first man to defeat Vernon Forrest. It took Mayorga only three rounds to knock out Forrest in Temecula, California.