Conah Walker beats Sam Eggington in sensational all-Midlands clash

Conah Walker dug deep to stop Sam Eggington and salvage a brilliant win in a sensational all-Midlands clash.

The Wolverhampton fighter was behind on the cards when he stopped his opponent in the 10th round of a pulsating contest at the city’s Civic Hall.

Stourbridge’s Eggington, fighting in his 46th professional bout, had threatened to upset Walker’s homecoming as he enjoyed much the better of the opening half of the fight.

But momentum switched in the eighth round, with Eggington forced to take a knee after being hurt by a powerful body shot.

Referee Steve Gray then jumped in to halt proceedings when a powerful right sent 32-year-old Eggington - who was still two rounds up on two of the judges’ cards at that point - slumping on the ropes in the 10th.

It meant another big win for Walker, who had taken a risk by stepping up from welterweight to super welterweight, where Eggington has most recently campaigned.

He later said: “I made it hard for myself. The gameplan was not to stand and fight with him.”

A fight considered the biggest in the region for decades and more than lived up to the hype.

Walker’s win over Olympian Pat McCormack last time out had pushed him close to landing a world title shot.

But when a planned re-match with Lewis Crocker, the reigning IBF champion, fell through, he chose the showdown with former British, European and IBO world champion Eggington.

For large parts of the evening it looked a big mistake, as he struggled to get to grips with the visibly larger Eggington.

Eggington’s ring walk barely lasted a minute. An entirely no-frills affair.

Walker’s was not. The home fighter appeared on a big screen above the stage as Hi Ho Silver Lining blasted out of the speakers, a huge grin on his face.

After eventually emerging onto the stage, he took time to soak it in, acknowledging all four corners of the venue before stepping through the rope.

But the atmosphere changed when the fight began. Walker looked to make a quick start and a left-right combination in the second drew gasps from the crowd.

Yet it was Eggington landing the more telling shots, his right-hand regularly piercing the guard of his opponent.

Walker was desperately looking for a breakthrough but despite a strong start to the seventh, it was Eggington still finding the target. By now, both boxers were dealing with nasty cuts.

Everything changed midway through the eighth. Eggington seemed to pause, perhaps thinking referee Gray was about to call break. That gave Walker the chance to step in and after more than a minute of pressure Eggington was forced to take a knee, wounded by a strong body shot.

He looked to recover in the ninth and was still ahead on the scorecards with three rounds to go.

Walker then stepped on the gas again in the 10th and three powerful rights in quick succession saw the referee jump in.

Eggington required oxygen while he was checked over by medical staff, before both men then embraced in the middle of the ring.