Mendy makes history

Patrick Mendy became the youngest Prizefighter champion when he took the super-middleweight crown at the York Hall in Bethnal Green.

The 19-year-old clinched the title - and a cheque for £32,000 - with a unanimous points win over reigning English champion Paul David.

As he had done in his wins over Sam Horton and Daniel Cadman earlier in the night, Mendy made a fast start in the opening round of the final.

However the two fighters failed to put on much of a spectacle for the crowd, though David did hit the canvas in a scrappy second when he was pushed over.

The pace picked up a little in the last, both men opening up in a bid to try and gain a knockdown which could be crucial in the final reckoning.

However in the end the judges were needed to find a winner, the busier Mendy getting the nod - 29-28 from two officials with the third scoring it 30-27.

"I believed in myself and I said at the beginning I would win this - there were no doubts about it," he told Sky Sports afterwards.

"They were always going to be tough fights. They were older than me, stronger and more experienced than me. But I always believed in my training."

Well-deserved winner

Brian Magee presented the trophy to Mendy, praising the Gambian-born teenager for his displays during the course of the tournament.

"I think Prizefighter is becoming a mini title by itself," he said. "The way he fought tonight he deserves everything that comes his way. He was fantastic in all three fights and a well-deserved winner.

When asked if he would fight the new champion next, he added: "You never know what comes your way in boxing."

While the final ended up being something of an anti-climax, there had been plenty of action in the earlier rounds.

Mendy had stopped Horton in somewhat controversial circumstances in the opening bout before being taken the distance by a brave Cadman in the semi-finals, eventually recording a points victory.

David had also managed a stoppage in his last-eight clash, knocking out Plymouth's Carl Drake in the final round with a chilling upper cut.

He then put paid to the unbeaten record of Jeff Evans to get beyond the last four, landing 30 punches to 17 to tilt the balance in his favour on all three scorecards.