MATTHEW BARNEY is lobbying leading officials to back an appeal following his controversial European title defeat on Saturday night.

Southampton's only world champion ever appeared to have boxed his way to a comprehensive victory over German title holder Thomas Ulrich, only to be denied by a disputed points decision in favour of the home fighter at the Erdgas Arena in Riesa.

Barney has been in touch with Simon Block, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, and is urging the sport's governing body to get behind a formal complaint to the European Boxing Union.

The 30-year-old former British super-middleweight champion is hoping that Ulrich will be ordered into an immediate rematch, rather than go in search of a possible shot at either the WBC or WBA world title.

"I have watched the video again and I think it shows that I won even more clearly than I first thought," said Barney.

"At the time I thought he had won a few rounds, but now I don't even think that.

"I know it is never easy to win away from home in a different country, but I won this clearly.

"I am speaking to the British Boxing Board of Control and I hope they will get behind me in putting some pressure on the EBU to order a rematch because this sort of thing does no good for boxing."

Barney stressed he would have accepted the decision had it been a close fight - and he has certainly taken past defeats with good grace.

"He is one of the best in the world and I would have happily admitted he was the better man if it had been the other way round," said Barney.

"I just think this sort of thing is the reason boxing has become less popular. There should be a rematch, sport should be about the best meeting the best."

Despite Barney's claim that he was a convincing winner, the three judges (from Spain, Finland and Italy) all voted for Ulrich, although two of the officials only had one round between the fighters.

The EBU rules governing scoring of a fight state that priority must be given to the boxer who lands clean punches with "power, number and accuracy, whether moving forward, backwards, boxing sideways against the ropes or counter punching".

However, they do also say that if there is doubt, the round should be scored in favour of the aggressor, "the one who goes decidedly after his rival, who forces the action to win the round, against a boxer who only runs away and does not stop to fight".

The view of the judges was presumably that the Hampshire man had not consistently jabbed with sufficient power to register the clear victory he felt was his.

Yet Barney added: "You only had to look at our faces. His nose was broken and his eye was closed. He hardly laid a glove on me all night."

NEW MILTON boxer Danny Goode maintained his unbeaten professional record with a points victory over London's Tony Rendall.

Fighting over the six-round distance for the first time, Goode's all-action style enabled him to build a points advantage despite being troubled by some hefty blows from his powerful opponent.

Goode, who stepped up to middleweight for the fight, expects to be in action again in Dagenham on April 30 and is eyeing another fight at Southampton's Guildhall in the forthcoming months.