Three in a row for Marsh

Marsh: Tough contest

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Matthew Marsh has retained his British superbantamweight title after scoring a majority verdict over Rocky Dean at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

Friday night's contest was the third time the pair had met and with Marsh having won the previous two, he started as favourite for the first defence of his Lonsdale Belt.

But, in a hard-fought and absorbing contest, Dean gave his best display yet - the 30-year-old from Thetford showing heart and guts but ultimately giving way to his opponent's speed, skill and greater work-rate.

Marsh, physically the larger of the two, made the stronger start, albeit with Dean's defence coming to the fore towards the end of round one.

An all-action, fast-paced contest developed, with Marsh throwing more punches but Dean getting through with a couple of rights in the second and third rounds.

Despite briefly getting caught in the ropes in the fourth, Dean was at this stage in the ascendancy and landed with another right hand midway through the fifth round that shook his opponent.

He did the same at the start of the sixth but Marsh responded with combinations that also found their target - the champion by now also offering a better defence.

Marsh really took the fight to his opponent in the seventh, landing a flurry of blows and with the fight entering its latter stages he seemed to be taking control of proceedings.

Problem

However, a problem surfaced when Marsh developed a cut over his left eye in the ninth, with his opponent also taking the 10th - despite suffering the same handicap.

In a fight now longer than either of the previous two the pair had contested, Dean was showing plenty of heart but Marsh regrouped over the remaining three rounds.

The judges scored the fight 114-114, 116-112 and 116-113 in favour of the defending champion.

Marsh paid tribute to his opponent, telling Sky Sports 1 the fight had been "very tough. I knew from day one, from the last two fights, it was going to be tough.

"I've trained so hard for this - 10 weeks - and it's paid off tonight. I've showed my boxing skills. Everyone knows I can fight now, everyone knows I can box.

"I wanted to show my boxing skills. I said that from day one - from the training camps - and tonight it showed."