Junior Witter probably kissed goodbye to his long-awaited domestic showdown against Manchester rival Ricky Hatton after he surrendered the World Boxing Council (WBC) light welterweight title on points to unbeaten American Timothy Bradley last night at Nottingham Arena. In his third title defence the 34-year-old Bradford boxer was subdued and surprisingly ineffective, allowing his challenger to outwork him and land the more potent punches, particularly with his right hand.

One judge scored the 12-round fight for Witter by a margin of 115-112 but his two colleagues made Bradley the winner by 115-113 and 114-113. Showtime TV, which broadcast the bout in America, had Bradley prevailing by an emphatic five points and the attraction of a Witter-Hatton encounter dissipated as soon as the decision was announced. Certainly, Hatton will feel no need to put his linear world light welterweight title on the line against Witter now.

Witter was knocked down for the first time in his career by an overhand right to the jaw near the end of round six and, although he beat the count and held on until the bell, it was clear that the title was in jeopardy. Bradley, from Palm Springs in California, had secured his position as mandatory challenger to Witter by winning 21 straight fights, 11 by stoppage. His list of prior opponents had been unimpressive but his speed, elusiveness, punch placement and deceptive power – especially in his right hand - established for him a comprehensive lead and Witter never looked likely to eat into the deficit.

After an opening round in which Witter managed to control the range and set up Bradley for a solid left cross to the jaw, which caused his opponent’s knees to dip, the American began to find a place for his right hand counters in round two. Although shorter and less imposing than Witter, he refused to be dominated physically and retaliated to a hard left by Witter with a right hand of his own. It would be his most productive weapon.

Witter hit back with a powerful left uppercut to the jaw in round three but he was unable to pin down the nimble Bradley or sustain any of his assaults. Wildness crept into his work in the fourth and Bradley made him pay with a left and right to the head, while they exchanged left hooks later in the round. But the most significant round of the fight was the sixth when Bradley put his punches together with ominous precision, culminating in the right hand over the top which floored Witter and stunned his supporters.

“He pulls back with his chin in the air, so I figured to fire the straight right hand, a punch that I’ve worked on and tonight it worked like a charm,” said Bradley. “I kept jabbing to the body to set him up for the right over the top and I knew I hurt him as soon as I landed it in the sixth round. But he’s a champion and he got back on his feet and fought back hard, though I knew that I was coming on strong and he wouldn’t be able to hold me off for the rest of the fight.”

Bradley landed another overhand right at the start of the seventh but Witter displayed good recuperative powers and he managed to subdue the challenger’s efforts in the eighth and ninth rounds. But he was remarkably unable to raise his game and he got rocked again by a left hook in round 10 before another overhand right shook him in the penultimate round. He escaped the dangers in the final round but the knockdown had sealed his fate. Had he remained on his feet in round six, he would have retained his title with a scarcely-deserved draw.

“There is still a lot more in the tank and I’ll be back as world champion,” said Witter, who suffered only his second defeat in 39 fights. But his bold declaration had a hollow ring. Hatton, who has avoided meeting him for years, must have felt strongly vindicated ahead of his bout against Juan Lazcano, a California-based Mexican, on May 24 at the City of Manchester Stadium.

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