Josh Kelly picked up a unanimous points victory over Troy Williamson at the Newcastle Arena to become Britain’s new light middleweight champion.
Williamson, 31, was making his second title defense against Kelly, who is also from the northeast.
But Kelly led the fight against Williamson in the first round and remained dominant as the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 and 119-111.
The 28-year-old challenger also inflicted the first defeat of Williamson’s career.
The Darlington fighter is now 19-1-1 while Kelly is 13-1-1 after trailing wins over Peter Kramer and Lucas Bastida earlier this year.
Kelly of Sunderland, an Olympian at the Rio Games in 2016, has rebuilt his career since lose to Russian David Avanesyan in 2021 to try to clinch the British title.
Before the fight, Kelly’s trainer Adam Booth said it was the best British game of the year. It turned out to be surprisingly one-sided, however, with Kelly shaking Williamson off to a flying start.
The defending champion managed to regroup and rock Kelly with a right hand in the fourth, but Kelly’s confidence was clear as he remained on his feet between rounds.
He unleashed a flurry of punches in the fifth before Williamson showed some frustration and Kelly began to speak out in the closing rounds, knowing that only an unlikely knockout would keep Williamson’s undefeated record intact.
