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Lenny Daws, the defending British light welterweight champion, was surprisingly held to an exciting draw by Jason Cook at the York Hall on the 12th February, 2010.

Cook, a former European lightweight champion with some power, was expected to offer little resistance against the marauding Daws, who had recently avenged his only loss with a stoppage defeat of Barry Morrison. However, from the opening bell, it was apparent that Cook had come to fight, as he appeared quicker, more powerful and more sprightly than the upright champion. Daws was clearly shaken by a sharp left hook in the first, and Cook pressed home an early advantage, boxing very well to lead 58-56 on the Sky scorecard, and 59-55 on mine. However, from the seventh onwards, the fight took on a completely different nature, as Cook stopped throwing in combination and began to be consistently driven back by the regular attacks of Daws. Although Cook was able to catch Daws on the way in with occassional right hands over the top, it appeared clear that he was being overawed by Daws' engine. By the 12th, it seemed apparent that Cook was behind on the cards and needed a stoppage, however such was his fatigue that he was left hanging on for the final bell, with Daws leaving it all in the ring.

My scorecard showed a close 115-113, with Daws coming on very strong in the final six rounds of the fight, while the Sky scorecard was slightly wider at 116-112. Although the fight was certainly close, both Cook and Daws appeared accepting of the likely outcome; that is, until the scorecards revealed a draw with cards of 115-114 Cook, 115-114 Daws and 114-114. After the fight, Cook was very open in suggesting that Daws "might have nicked it by a round or two", before alluding to the old adage of ripping the belt away from the champion. Both fighters appeared open to a rematch of what was an exciting affair between two very game fighters. Cook's record now stands at 26-3-1 (13), while Daws' stands at 20-1-2 (8). Daws retains the British light welterweight title.