By Dan McCaffery

Sarnia's Tanner Tomlinson lost a controversial boxing match over the weekend.

Fighting in the Ontario Golden Gloves tournament at London, the teenage light-heavyweight lost a split decision to Lenny Cochrane of the host city.

The local fighter, who is best known as an enforcer with the Sarnia Legionnaires Jr. 'B' hockey team, controlled much of the action, according to his coach, Tim Taylor of River City Boxing Club.

"Tanner dominated the whole thing,” the coach said. “After the fight the other guy couldn't continue for the rest of the tournament. Tanner only had a little mark on his eye.”

Taylor said Tomlinson “will have to go back to the drawing board. We've got to get him a little more cardio. He beat Cochrane in 25 seconds (in a fight last month) and he tried to do the same thing again. But the guy weathered the storm.”

Tomlinson is a skilled hockey player who scored almost a point a game with the Legionnaires last winter. He also picked up 150 minutes in penalties. His record as a boxer now stands at 1-1.

Three River City boxers did come home with medals. William Penkwitz won a novice gold, James Moore received a super heavyweight silver and light middleweight Todd Charlton captured a bronze.