Steven Pearce's march for titles is halted
Stourbridge's Steven Pearce saw his march at titles come to an abrupt halt as Ryan Hardy arrived at Walsall Town Hall looking to upset the apple cart.
The two battled for the vacant British Masters welterweight title with Hardy, who would finish the night wearing a belt for the first time, prevailing on points.
The Sheffield visitor had Pearce unsettled as soon as ran down to the scene of battle for his ring entrance and his, at times, over-confidence proved to do the trick.
He showboated, sucked it up and traded blows at equal measure against the former Midlands champion, boxing his fourth straight title fight but the first to go the distance.
As the fight wore on, Hardy piped down for a time with his mouth bloodied by frenzied attacks, Pearce nursing a nose-bleed by the fight's end. Referee Shaun Messer, from Dudley, had it 98-95.
The second title fight on the bill saw Luke Paddock, from the Walsall district of Bloxwich, show some grit to claim the eight-round British Masters Bronze light welterweight belt.
Gloucester's Andy Harris, stepping in at late notice for Stoke's Kevin Hanks, had plenty of defeats on his paid ledger but was also a former holder of said belt at lightweight.
He shook Paddock with a right hook to the head in the third round, forcing him to hold on for dear life, before his eye marked in the fifth round which proved to be a huge problem.
He still rocked Paddock's head back with a right hand over the top that beat a high guard in round six, although the West Midlander fought back with a match-ending shot in the eighth.
Paddock launched a right hook right into the troubled area of Harris come the last round and his eye soon swelled up like a ball, forcing referee Gareth Morris to call for the doctor.
It was all over from there and the stoppage came with 93 seconds of the fight left. Paddock was 69-64 up on points with Morris going into the last round.
On the under-card, home-town fighter and Midlands cruiserweight champion Christopher Keane was given a run-out with a 40-36 points landslide over Lithuania's Igor Borucha, Messer officiating.
Kingswinford's Kyle Spencer suffered his first pro defeat at light middleweight to Junior Thompson. A right hook to the jaw in the ropes brought his hands down and they never came back up.
Messer dived in as a prone Spencer was subjected to further abuse, two minutes and 40 seconds into round two. Debutant Thompson, at 11st 5lb 8oz, had weighed in exactly six pounds heavier.
Halesowen's Lennox Clarke stepped in with debutant and fellow former white collar boxer Shaun Law, from Rotherham, and shut-out his foe 40-36 on points at super middleweight with Messer.
West Bromwich's Tom Stokes stalked Bognor Regis' Liam Griffiths and enjoyed success to the body, Morris ruling him another shut-out 40-36 winner at welterweight.
Leicester's Ryandeep Nandha saw his professional debut at welterweight end in disaster, as he was waved off on his feet for Birmingham veteran Jason Nesbitt's first victory since November 2010.
Nandha didn't cover up properly and paid the price when he bounced off every rope to the floor after walking onto a right hook, referee Shaun Messer waving him off 18 seconds into round four.
In the opening fight it was Stoke's Josh McLaren, a welterweight signed to Frank Warren, who battled past Tamworth's Matt Seawright to win every round by 40-36 with Morris.
By Craig Birch
