Jamaican-born O'Neil Bell won a controversial unanimous decision over Canada's Dale Brown to capture the vacant IBF cruiserweight title. Bell won verdicts of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111, but the judges' decision was greeted by boos from the crowd.
"I thought I had the fight - 117-111, that's crazy," Brown said.
Bell, now based in Atlanta, Georgia, is likely to seek a unification showdown with France's Jean-Marc Mormeck, the WBC and WBA cruiserweight champion.
"Let me go after Mormeck," Bell said. "Then I will show you who the real champion is."
Bell improved this record to 24-1 with his eighth victory in a row, the previous seven by knockout.
It was the first time the 30-year-old had been taken the distance in his career, in his first world title bout.
The IBF title was vacated when Kelvin Davis was stripped of the crown because of inactivity due to conflicts with promoter Don King.
MMIX
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