Booth looking to end career on winning note

Jason Booth is likely to have one more fight before hanging up the gloves for good. 

The always-brave Nottingham super-bantamweight [pictured with one of two Lonsdale Belts he's secured outright] suffered his third defeat on the bounce at the weekend, against Kid Galahad in Rotherham, which left many questioning his future involvement in the sport.

Afterwards, the veteran two-weight British and three-weight Commonwealth boss hinted at turning his hand to training, but it's looking as if the once-smooth-boxing Booth will drop to bantamweight and seek to end his career with his 37th paid victory [nine defeats, 15 stoppages].

Though he's lost four of his previous five and is winless in the last 12 months, the Tony Harris-trained stylist has nothing to be ashamed of in title defeats that his saw his conquerors [Steve Molitor, IBF, Kiko Martinez, vacant European, Scott Quigg, losing his British, and Galahad, vacant WBC International] combined records read a none-too-shabby 88-4.

But the signs of age and wear and tear brought on by 16 years of testing battles, both inside and outside the ring, have been evident since he lost that world title challenge to slick Canadian Molitor in October 2010. The strength of naturally-bigger Martinez and Quigg forced Booth to suffer inside-the-distance defeats, and a combination of size and youth saw Galahad prevail at the weekend.

And Jimmy Gill, the East Midlander's long-serving manager, conceded that a career that has seen his 34-year-old Strelley-based charge dominate the domestic scene at a brace of weights and challenge for a recognised version of a world title, only losing on a majority decision, is coming to an end. 

He said: "Jason is clearly coming to the end of the road.

"He was reduced to wild swings with his back to the ropes and hardly threw a body punch all night. In the past - and only about 15 months ago - Jay would have destroyed this kid with something to spare," he continued.

"But he'd like to go out on a winning note and we're looking at a six or eight-rounder, possibly in Nottingham, at bantamweight to make sure Jason goes out how he started when he turned pro in 1996 - as a winner."