Sunday 31 January 2016 11:37, UK
John Ryder shrugged off a nasty cut to claim a composed points win over middleweight dangerman Sergey Khomitsky.
The Islington man could not afford another setback after his stoppage defeat to Nick Blackwell in last May's British title clash and he used his superior ring skills to claim a unanimous verdict with scores of 117-112 116-112 115-113.
Fellow Brits Jamie Moore, Frank Buglioni and Adam Etches had all suffered defeat to Khomitsky, but Ryder kept his composure after being cut badly in the second and his safety-first approach meant he stayed away from danger for much of the 12 rounds.
Facing a high-risk assignment, Ryder remained out of range for much of the opening round and probed Khomitsky's reflexes with the occasional punch.
Ryder had more cause for concern in the second round as he was left with a gash over his right eye after a close-range exchange.
The sight of blood prompted Khomitsky to step up his early onslaught in the third, but Ryder seemed to calmly accept this setback and landed a decent left before the bell.
Into the fourth, Ryder continued to display nimble footwork and Khomitsky's march had now turned into a plod and the Londoner caught him with a crisp right hand.
Ryder's growing confidence was highlighted in the fifth as he rammed home hooks, although the Ukrainian landed two rights in the sixth to give a reminder of his menace.
But Ryder was dictating the pace from his southpaw stance and popped out point-scoring punches through Khomitsky's defences.
A tense battle was halted prematurely in the ninth when the bell sounded a minute early and Khomitsky came out for the 10th with renewed vigour and troubled Ryder with a looping left hand.
Sensing the need for a stoppage, Khomitsky staged another desperate attack in the 12th and Ryder fired back with fierce punches of his own to put the seal on a much-needed triumph.
