Esham Pickering defended his British super-bantamweight title with a ninth-round stoppage of Sean Hughes.
Hughes stopped after nine action-packed rounds
Esham Pickering defended his British super-bantamweight title with a ninth-round stoppage of Sean Hughes at the Meadowside Leasure Centre in Burton-on-Trent.
It was a sweet victory for Pickering, who lost a points decision to Hughes over eight rounds when the pair met last November.
Things did not go entirely to plan as Hughes completely dominated the opening round, landing regularly as Pickering appeared over-eager in his efforts to come forward.
The champion took several clean shots on the chin and looked in trouble after being rocked by a left hand towards the end of the round.
But he re-grouped well during an even second and then turned the fight on its head with a storming third, in which it was Hughes' turn to take some crisp shots.
Knockdown
Pickering built on that good work in the fourth when he dispatched Hughes to the canvas on two occasions.
The first knockdown was the result of an over-the-top right hand that caught Hughes on the chin as he dropped his guard.
He regained his feet after the count had reached eight but was immediately subjected to a swarming attack from Pickering that put him back on the floor just prior to the bell.
Hughes again beat the count at eight and was grateful for the opportunity to return to his stool and gain some respite.
Pickering remained in control while dominating the fifth before the high-tempo nature of the fight began to take its toll as Hughes dug in for the long haul.
It became a war of attrition and there was little to split the fighters during the seventh and eighth rounds.
However, it was Pickering who picked up the pace again in the ninth and a flurry of punches saw the referee step in with more than two minutes remaining in the round.
Lacklustre
"It was better than last time," Pickering told
Sky Sports.
"There is still a little bit to work on. There is lot more to come from me, I was little bit lacklustre at times, but I'm happy because I won the fight.
"I got to him in the end and I'm happy with the victory."
