Jason Welborn wins the Midlands title

Dudley's Jason Welborn believes he won the fight before it even started after ripping the Midlands welterweight title from Sean McKervey at Walsall Town Hall.

The two clashed with the area belt on the line on a bill broadcast live by Ricky Hatton's promotional company on You Tube last night.

Challenger Welborn put down Coventry's McKervey twice in the third round before referee Shaun Messer waved the champion off, one minute and 26 seconds into the session.

A left uppercut to the outer cheek of McKervey spun him around in the air before he hit the canvas to score the first knockdown.

Dudley's Messer appeared generous in letting him answer the count, with the fallen fighter on his knees shaking his head before getting up.

McKervey immediately came back under fire and covered up in the ropes, where Welborn launched a stiff right that got between the guard to the face and dropped him a second time.

Again, McKervey was up but on unsteady legs and, after a stagger into the neutral corner, the fight was stopped and Welborn was declared the new Midlands champion.

He said: "For me to make this weight and stay strong, everything has to be right. You can win a fight before you even get onto the scales and I have learned by experience.

"I am 25 now, I am at my peak and this is the best time for something like this to happen. I have been a pro since I was 19 and I was a street fighter then, who had only had seven amateur bouts.

"With my strength and power, I can't see many people out there who can stand toe-to-toe with me."

In the rest of the three-fight dinner show, hometown hero Martin Gethin made is return after 19 months out with a back injury with a six-round points shut out of Poland's Arek Malek.

The former two-time English lightweight champion took ringside referee Shaun Messer's 60-54 points call, with Wolverhampton's Gareth Morris still learning the ropes in the middle.

The ring rust flew off Walsall's Gethin as the fight wore on and by the fifth round his reactions were sharp, with right hooks landing at will as his opponent came in to work.

In the opening bout, Dudley's Zak The Ripper – real name Saquib Amir – banished the memory of his first pro defeat by picking up his second win.

'The Ripper' moves to 2-1 after outpointing Mansfield-based Latvian Pavels Senkovs 40-36 over four rounds, just over a month after losing a six-rounder to Dan Naylor at the same venue.