Junior Witter vowed he will be a world champion again after losing his WBC light-welterweight title in a surprise defeat by US fighter Timothy Bradley in Nottingham Saturday.

The 34-year-old had hoped a comprehensive win would pave the way for a fight against Ricky Hatton but instead Bradley took the belt on a split points decision.

Witter hit the canvas in the sixth round but the Bradford man insisted he should still have been given the verdict.

"I'm gutted, I can't believe it," Witter said. "I thought I'd done enough to win. I know I had the knockdown but I thought I worked hard enough in the rest of the fight to win comfortably.

"I don't think you saw the best of me tonight. Timothy Bradley came out and fought and took some good shots. He caught me with a hell of a shot. But I was just a bit sloppy. It was a perfect shot. He'd been trying it all night, I knew he was going for it. But I won rounds before it. I won rounds after that."

Witter also said he would be back....