GRIMSBY boxer Kevin Hooper said he was "gutted" for training partner Josh Wale after his split-decision despair in the super-bantamweight Prizefighter showdown on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old Barnsley fighter lost out by the tightest of margins to eventual winner Willie Casey at the semi-final stage of competition, which was broadcast live by Sky Sports at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.

The eight-man one-night boxing format, created by leading promoter Barry Hearn, sees a mixture of established and up-and-coming fighters do battle over three rounds of three minutes to secure the title.

With the 26-year-old Grimsby professional Hooper watching ringside, Wale began the night with a split-decision victory against former British, Commonwealth and European title holder Esham Pickering.

That win put Wale through to the semi-finals, one victory shy of a shot at the title and a £32,000 prize.

Wale was protecting a cut to his eye from his clash against Pickering but put in a better performance against Casey.

That time, however, the split decision didn't go Wale's way, and Casey went on to clinch the lucrative title by beating Paul McElhinney, a late stand-in for finalist Ricky Owen who was forced out of action by a cut eye.

Hooper, trained by Grimsby's Sean Wood, felt Wale was unlucky: "I thought he'd done enough for the win and so did he and a lot of other people did too.

"Because of his cut he had to fight off his back foot in the semi and Casey was always in his face.

"That probably cost Josh because, as he said to me afterwards, if you are not the aggressor you often don't win.

"I'm gutted for him after all the hard work.

"It was a great atmosphere though. I'd love to be involved in a Prizefighter in the future."

Hooper questioned the rule of allowing a substitute to stand in at the final stage, rather than using an eliminated opponent from earlier rounds: "It doesn't seem a fair rule for someone to just come in for one fight as a reserve and take home £16,000."