Paul Smith claimed the British super middleweight title with a split decision verdict over fellow Liverpudlian Tony Quigley.
Quigley loses British title in his first defence
Paul Smith claimed the British super middleweight title with a split decision verdict over fellow Liverpudlian Tony Quigley.
Neither man was able to dominate a closely-fought contest at the Echo Arena, but it was the challenger who got the verdict, presumably for his slightly slicker work and strong finish.
But this really was a fight that could have gone either way and Quigley - making his first defence - has every right to feel he could have edged the verdict.
As it was, two of the ringside judges scored the fight for the 27-year-old Smith (116-113 and 116-112), while one gave it to the champion by 116-114.
His victory takes Smith's record to 28-1, while 25-year-old Quigley slips to 13-2.
The contest got off to a cagey opening as Smith looked to go to work on the inside, however the challenger's initial lack of head movement allowed Quigley to land a couple of telling jabs.
Quigley continued his bright start in round two, landing cleanly with both hands and finding a rhythm.
At the beginning of round three referee Richie Davies warned both men about use of the head. Late in the round Quigley connected with an overhand right, followed by left hand which sunk Smith against the ropes in the neutral corner.
Combination
Smith imposed himself to a greater extent in round fourth and the fifth began with Quigley confidently landing his jab, but Smith responded with a left hook and straight right combination, which Quigley wore well before responding with a stiff uppercut of his own.
The left hook continued to give Smith joy but he returned to his corner with a cut above his right eye following a clash of heads.
A quieter affair followed in round six, with Quigley looking far more impressive when he chose to fight from an orthodox stance.
Two left jabs followed by a punishing right from Smith backed Quigley into the ropes at the opening of the seventh stanza, and despite some sloppy defensive work, the challenger appeared to shade the round.
Round eight was a scrappy affair but Smith was again able to burrow in with chopping lefts to the head and body. The pace appeared to be taking its toll on Quigley but the champion rocked his opponent with a crunching right uppercut at close quarters in the closing stages.
Pattern
A similar pattern emerged in the following three minutes, as referee Davies took exception to Quigley's holding. However, the champion was able to fight effectively in burst, pinning Smith on the ropes at close quarters on two occasions.
In round 10 the blood around Smith's right eye was becoming an issue. Quigley landed a right uppercut left hook combination, only for Smith to respond with a left of his own as head shots were landed more frequently.
Despite both fighters appearing to be blowing heavily, the frenetic pace continued in round 11.
Quigley earned a reprieve after Smith landed a low blow but Smith finished the stronger as he punished the flagging champion with punishing right hooks, before spinning him round with a left.
That clearly impressed the judges and it was the challenger who had his hand raised after 12 gruelling rounds of action.
