ALTRINCHAM, England - From the moment it was announced, the British and Commonwealth junior welterweight title fight between Jack Rafferty and Mark Chamberlain looked like it would produce fireworks. It more than delivered.

After 12 brutal rounds, the fighters had to settle for a majority draw.

Last October, Rafferty (26-0-1, 17 KOs) burst onto television screens with an exciting, come-from-behind stoppage of Henry Turner. The dramatic win earned him the British 140-pound title and a promotional deal with Queensberry. Since then, he has racked up two stoppages and become a must-see television fighter.

If the in-form Rafferty’s star has risen quickly, Chamberlain’s has dimmed over the past 18 months. A string of exciting knockouts caught the attention of His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh, and earned him the chance to perform on a series of Riyadh Season shows.

In September of last year, the 26-year-old from Portsmouth turned in a surprisingly flat performance and drifted to a decision defeat to Josh Padley.

The loss persuaded Chamberlain (17-1-1, 12 KOs) that the time had come to stop boiling his tall, angular frame down to 135 pounds. And he knew that a win over the in-form Rafferty would see him reclaim any lost ground.

Over the past year, Rafferty has beaten the talented Turner and Corey O’Regan and sparred hundreds of rounds with southpaws, but he had never boxed anybody with the ability to finish a fight at any given moment.

Aware that getting caught in mid-range against a fighter with Chamberlain’s power could bring his momentum to a shouldering halt, Rafferty boxed cautiously during the opening round but was caught by a hard straight left hand as he slowly felt his way into range.

He rocked Chamberlain’s head back with a right hand of his own and crept forward, applying pressure with his feet rather than unloading heavy shots.

Action began to intensify in the third. Chamberlain suffered a vertical cut over his left eye as Rafferty began to ramp up his output. Chamberlain seemed to be targeting the body but – growing in confidence – he put together a hard combination to open the fourth.

Clearly wary of the firepower coming back his way, Rafferty nonetheless continued to press forward. Chamberlain was cut near his right eye after a clash of heads but continued to find the mark with long, straight punches.

By round five, Rafferty had begun to find his groove. Chamberlain was landing heavy artillery, but Rafferty walked through the fire and was now landing plenty of his own. He refused to leave Chamberlain alone, targeting his body and spending more and more time in punching range.

By round seven, it seemed as if the tide had turned. Rafferty zoned in on Chamberlain’s midsection and although the man from Portsmouth continued to fire back and land clean left hands, he was spending more and more time against the ropes.

Chamberlain rebounded well in the eighth. He found the mark time and time again as Rafferty walked forward, and was able to buy himself valuable room and time.

The pace was relentless. Chamberlain’s eye catching shots were balanced out by Rafferty’s pressure and short, clubbing blows. A beautiful three punch combination steadied Rafferty in the 10th, but that was answered by a sustained body attack by Rafferty as the action swung one way and then the other.

Swollen faced, Rafferty continued to press forward but Chamberlain boxed brilliantly on the back foot in the 11th. He was able to time Rafferty well enough to hold his feet and unload short, sharp combinations.

From ringside, a brutal fight seemed to be in the balance a the fighters answered the bell for the final round.

A series of left hooks stunned Chamberlain, who tottered around throwing back heavy shots of his own. They traded until the bell.

The fight went to the scorecards. John Latham had Chamberlain ahead 115-114, but he was overruled by Michael Alexander and Mark Lyson, both of whom scored the fight 114-114.