Marsh plunders British title

Pickering: Off the pace

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Matthew Marsh claimed the British super-bantamweight title in only his 11th fight as a professional with a points victory over Esham Pickering.

The West Ham fighter was successful in the amateur ranks and his work-rate proved too much for the former European and Commonwealth champion, whose powers appear to be on the wane.

Marsh came out firing from the opening bell and stamped his authority on the fight with several big right hands that disorientated the outgoing champion, who was hoping to clinch the Lonsdale belt outright.

But in a bout that was fought at close range, Marsh was often first to the punch with Pickering's timing looking awry.

The champion did score some success when landing to the body but all too often the 31-year-old was put on the back foot by stiff combinations from his younger opponent.

Marsh may have been only marginally ahead entering the final third of the fight and Pickering clawed back some lost rounds, but the challenger's hunger was evident as he maintained an unrelenting pace.

Pickering was rocked by a combination in the 10th and it seemed to give Marsh the confidence he needed to go on and win the fight, with the judges seeing it 117-111, 116-113, 115-113 in his favour.