Billy Joe Saunders won the vacant Commonwealth middleweight title by stopping Tony Hill, his 13th straight victory as a pro.
Hill stopped in opening round of middleweight clash
Billy Joe Saunders claimed the vacant Commonwealth middleweight title after stopping Tony Hill in the first round of their bout at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night.
The 22-year-old, who remains unbeaten since turning professional following the 2008 Olympics, was keen to underline his credentials as a potential world champion and did just that with a ruthless performance.
Saunders' (13-0, 9KOs) early onslaught left Hill struggling badly on the ropes and the referee had little option but to jump in to stop the fight.
Meanwhile, Sam Webb dug deep for a split decision win over Matthew Hall to set up another shot at the British light-middleweight title.
Webb was forced on the back foot by Hall's early aggression, but he gradually got a grip and took victory with scores of 115-114,116-112, while the third judge scored it 117-112 for the Mancunian.
Work-rate
Hall came out firing from the first bell as he tried to smother Webb's work with a high volume of punches.
But 'El Torito' gradually ran out of steam and Webb's neat boxing skills appeared to give him the edge in the second-half of the fight.
Hall was still trying to land his clubbing shots in the closing rounds, but Webb's cleaner punches earned him the nod from the two judges.
Victory in this British title eliminator will give Webb a chance to reclaim the belt he lost in a stoppage defeat by Prince Arron last May.
Also on the bill, Bradley Saunders won his second fight as a professional with a first-round stoppage of Danny Dontchev in a light-welterweight contest.
