Sunday 25 September 2016 02:20, UK
Callum Johnson picked up the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title by knocking out Willbeforce Shihepo in the ninth round of a rough and tough fight.
'The One' produced a brutal, short right hook to secure the vacant strap after having him down in the seventh and the Namibian having a point deducted for his far-from-classy style before that.
Johnson was one of Joe Gallagher's four fighters in action at the Manchester Arena on a typically busy night and before heading off to Anthony Crolla's dressing room, the trainer admitted this light-heavyweight is ready to move on.
The Commonwealth belt was always going to be the perfect platform and after a first-round head clash with Shihepo and his eye starting to swell, it was clearly going to be far from an easy step up for Johnson.
The 31-year-old had no trouble giving as good as he got in the second and third rounds, his left hook and his right from out wide doing well as he was in control.
Shihepo tried to do the same but had a point deducted in the fifth for holding and pulling the Boston man down in the regular clinches. Once the referee stepped away, another cracking left hook from Johnson landed flush.
The seventh saw another short, sharp left hook landing and the right to the body left him in trouble on the ropes, especially when referee Robert Williams called a knockdown.
Another perfectly timed left hook at the start of the eighth saw Shihepo's gumshield fly across the ring and about three minutes later, his chances of beating Johnson went with it.
With less than a minute gone, the first right hook set up the perfect finishing shot, an even harder hook that left Shihepo struggling to breathe as he failed to make it to his feet.
The medics were in quickly and thankfully he recovered, leaving Johnson celebrating his first title as a professional.
