Oxford Boxing Academy middleweight Chris Wood (pictured) was left totally bemused as to why he failed to secure his place in the ABA quarter-finals.

Somehow the judges conspired to deny him with a majority verdict for Norfolk rival Joe Bennett, who had to be taken to hospital after the bout to receive treatment for concussion, at Harlow.

Wood was unscathed, reflecting his domination of their encounter as he repeatedly landed solid right hands and left hooks to impose his authority.

The Kingfisher ABC teenager scored only token success and he could not match the power of his Oxford rival, whose shots constantly propelled him back towards the ropes.

Wood finished in style with a series of rights that made Bennett wobble, but somehow he managed to remain upright until the bell offered him the sanctuary of his corner.

And it was not only the Oxford camp that was stunned when the decision was announced - howls of derision echoed around the venue.

Wood said: "They often say in boxing that you have to knock out your opponent to scrape a draw in Germany, but it seems you can also get robbed closer to your own backyard.

"If he had beaten me fairly and squarely then I could have accepted the outcome, but that was not the case in Harlow where the better man failed to see his arm raised."

With Bennett taken to hospital, the Oxford camp could hear that Wood is reinstated in the competition.

But chief coach Faz Keyani has mixed feelings and said: "They could telephone us and say Chris is back in the championships that evening in Sheffield.

"But that is not the way to prepare for a quarter final with another potential bout - the semi-final - on the following day."