Norton retains after gruelling defence
Stourbridge's Rob Norton is still the British cruiserweight champion after 12 gruelling rounds at the Aston Villa Events Centre.
A war of a main event ended with all three judges awarding Norton the decision over David Dolan.
But what drama had preceded that final call, with the champion knocked down no less than three times over the course of the contest.
He hit the mat twice in the fourth round and again in the eighth, but Norton really rallied over the final period and put Dolan down twice.
The second in the 11th round sent the challenger through the middle rope - but both men made it to the final bell. It was a narrow victory, but in the end his first defence of the title was a success.
Norton added another belt to his stash in victory, the vacant Commonwealth title put up just hours before the fight as another carrot for the winner.
He said: "I will go away having learned a lot from the fight, but what was really important was how I fought back to win.
"I am not stupid, I know that to get knocked down three times in one fight is not good enough with the standards I have set myself. I have had a few niggling injuries that I felt during the bout, my elbows for instance have been giving me trouble.
"Maybe it is time to rest up for a little bit and clear these problems up, so I can be back at full pelt."
