Jason Welborn not finished yet

The 33-year-old Tividale fighter missed out on the vacant super welterweight Commonwealth crown last weekend, being stopped by JJ Metcalf in Leeds.

He could not continue after a body shot in the eighth round – but there was an element of controversy as Metcalf had been docked a point for a low blow earlier in the round.

And Welborn, who also injured his hand in the early stages of the bout, insists the low blow was a ‘bad one’.

“Obviously, I’m gutted. I trained as hard as I could,” he said. “In the second round, my hand went.

“I didn’t know how bad it was at the time as my hand was numb.

“It was a bit of a messy fight, and I got frustrated, arguing with the ref. It was probably the worst fight I have ever been in.

“I checked my hand the next day, and it had ballooned. I got it scanned and, fortunately, there was no break or fracture, but it went in the first couple of punches, and it was killing me and I couldn’t really lift it up.

“It was just frustrating, a terrible night. My heart got me up after the low blow.

“Your adrenalin gets you up, but you aren’t going to recover from a shot like that. It was a bad one.

“I’m still cramped up now. I was glad when it was over really

“It has wound me up, but I am just going to have a holiday and then see how I am.

“I can’t change anything, what’s done is done.”

The defeat was Welborn’s first outing since he lost his world title bout with Jarrett Hurd back in December, a fight also ended by a body shot. He now has a 24-8 record.

But he has fared well at middleweight in the past – being British champion at that weight – and said: “I’ve had thoughts of going back up to middle

“There are options. I’m strong enough to go up to middle, and I’m good enough.

“I’m 5-0 in middle and that last week training at super welter is murder.

“Even if I had won the fight, I still would’ve thought about going to middle

“We’ll spend some time on the fight now, but they have got to be big fights.

“The fights have got to make sense still, as I still think I have got those big fights left in me.”

He added: “I do not want to go out on a fight like that.

“I want to perform how I know I can, and go out on a high.

“We’ll see what’s around the corner, but that ain’t the last of me.”