Sunday 18 October 2015 01:09, UK
Kal Yafai claimed the vacant British super-flyweight title with a unanimous points victory over an outclassed Jason Cunningham in Birmingham.
Despite a significant height disadvantage, Yafai asserted his superiority from the first bell and even began showboating midway through the fight as he easily extended his unbeaten record to 17-0 with scores of 119-108, 120-107, 120-107.
The 26-year-old was never required to produce his best but still caught the eye when he staggered Cunningham with a double left hook in the fifth and then knocked him down with scuffed left to the back of the head in the sixth.
Yafai now wants to step up to world level and has identified Japan's Kohei Kono, the WBA super-flyweight champion, as a potential target.
He said: "First of all, you've got to give it up to Jason Cunningham. He's tough and he took everything. I thought I had him gone but he took it all. He's a really tough kid. I was dominant all the way through. He didn't really want to mix it up with me.
"[I want to] get the right fight at the right time. I watched the fight last night for the WBA title between Kono and [Koki] Kameda. Kono won, retained his WBA title. Maybe that is something we can look at down the line - bring him over here from Japan and take his title off him."
Earlier, Kal's brother Gamal Yafai defied an injured left hand to earn a comprehensive 99-91 points victory over Tanzania's Nasibu Ramadhani in their Commonwealth super-bantamweight title eliminator.
Yafai sustained the injury inside the opening three rounds and was consequently put on the back foot, but he regained his composure in the fifth and was on top by the sixth as he started landing hooks on an opponent who was now struggling to connect.
Yafai upped the tempo again in the eighth and ninth rounds and effectively sealed victory with a spree of right hands to take his record to 8-0.
He will now target a title fight with Commonwealth champion Bobby Jenkinson next year.
Yafai said: "I couldn't throw this hand and it was a nightmare keeping him off. I couldn't keep him off with my jab because my hand is killing. I had a problem with it before but it kept healing up well. It was a nightmare but it's a learning curve from me.
"No excuses. He was a good fighter. I'll go and get my hand seen on Monday but I'm on for the Commonwealth title now."
