LAWRENCE Bennett has called for an immediate rematch with Matty Askin after his English cruiserweight title bid ended in controversy.

The self-styled Bad Boy had the reigning champion on the floor within 80 seconds of the first round with a left-hook to the temple, but referee Shaun Lester ruled the fall a slip.

But then as the opening session drew to a close both fighters tangled and fell through the ropes and landed on a table at ringside before falling to the floor.

Southern Area champion Bennett got to his feet and return to the ring, while the Blackpool bruiser lay strewn on the York Hall floor and needed to be taken away on a stretcher.

However, the 33-year-old from Swindon then had to be ushered away by security to his changing room as angry fans gained access to the ring and attempted to go for Bennett.

Once calm had been restored the contest was declared a technical draw and Askin remains English champion.

But Bennett, who is supposed to defend his Southern Area belt next month against Wadi Commacho back at York Hall, wants his manager Steve Goodwin to secure him a rematch with Askin.

“We’ll get the re-match – I’m mandatory, he can’t dodge me. I want that fight,” Bennett told the Advertiser.

“I know that I hurt him, every shot that I hit him with (you could see in) his eyes he did not want it.

“I’m not sure why he didn’t get up off the floor, if he is injured, hopefully he is all well and that. But I know as soon as I hit him, he did not want it anymore.

“I went out there tried to be sharp, he has walked on to a hook, a big hook on to the temple and he has gone down.

“I don’t know why the referee didn’t count it. I really don’t know why, I have looked at it on the replay, I have landed a clean shot, he has gone down, when he got back he was all over the place.

“He underestimated me like everyone else does and he thought that he was going to walk in and walk through me.

“But once he got hit with that first shot he thought ‘hang on a minute I’m in a real fight.” He didn’t want it.”

Meanwhile, Swindon’s Joe Beeden put in a solid display on the undercard at the York Hall but was edged out by Southampton’s Jimmy Cooper.

The 22-year-old Richard Farnan-trained super-featherweight was the aggressor in the opening session to take the opening round, before Cooper used his height and reach advantage to claim rounds two and three.

Both men worked hard in the final session to claim share of the round, but Beeden was narrowly beaten 39-38 on points to suffer his 30th career defeat.