Trainer Steve Whitwell has vowed to call in England Boxing after daughter Shona’s first senior bout ended in controversy.

The St Ives Boxing Academy star was beaten on a split decision by Irish opponent Ciara Ginty – a former world junior champion.

But Whitwell snr was far from happy with the outcome at a Harlow ABC show where he claims the judges’ scorecards were doctored.

He blasted: “It should have been a great experience for Shona to have her first senior outing, but everything from messing around beforehand over the weight, to the final result, left a bad taste in the mouth.

“The match had been made at 60kg, but the Irish girl came in closer to 65kg which made a tough fight even more difficult as Shona had to give weight away.

“The crowd was very Irish-heavy and it was more like Dublin than Harlow to be honest.

“The bout panned out exactly as I expected with Ginty trying to close down and land big shots, but Shona showing superior footwork and better skills. I felt Shona just nicked a close opening round before producing some of the best boxing I’ve ever seen from her in the second round. It was then just a case of having a good last round to be sure of the win, and Shona produced that.

“I caught a glimpse of the judges’ scores for the final round, which they gave to Shona, so I was certain she had won the fight after being so dominant in the second.

“But it then looked like the announcer wasn’t happy with the scores when they were handed to him, and after a brief discussion with the supervisor, the result was announced as a split decision for Ginty.

“I am adamant the scores were changed from those initially given by the judges, and I have to admit that I lost my cool.

“I was very upset with what happened, and let everyone know. Something wasn’t right about this fight from the very start. I will be sending a video of the bout to the governing body as this kind of thing is killing amateur boxing.”

Whitwell will be back in action on February 18 when boxing on the undercard of the National Youth Championships, which feature her younger sister, Harli.

St Ives Boxing Academy are laying on a show at the town’s Performing Arts Centre on February 25. Dinner tickets, priced at £40, are still available by calling Whitwell snr on 07775 485186.