Alycia Baumgardner came through a routine first defense of her WBC, IBO super featherweight titles with a shutout win over Edith Soledad Matthysse, of Argentina, on the Benn-Van Heerden bill in Manchester. 

Baumgardner had not boxed since taking the title in sensational style from Terri Harper in Sheffield in November. She was happy to pick off Matthysse from distance and while she occasionally put her punches together, she was happy to keep things safe as she won by 100-90 on all three cards. 

At 41, it was fair to assume that Matthysse’s best days were behind her, having held two versions of the world featherweight title until 2016. She just had nothing to hurt Baumgardner with as she walked after the champion offering little more than a left jab. Baumgardner moved and boxed and threw punches off either foot. 

But the American never seemed concerned about the need to go for a stoppage and there were few highlights. 

Jack Cullen got back to winning ways after an unsuccessful shot at the European super-middleweight title as he overcame Vladimir Belujsky in a tough eight-rounder. 

Cullen boxed well in the first but Belujsky, who was born is Slovakia but lives in Ireland, had more success in the second as he caught Cullen as he was too upright and open. 

Cullen took some sort of control in the third round, though, as he caught Belujsky with a solid left as Belujsky tried to throw a left hook and kept the pressure on him all round, while Belujsky was reduced to just throwing single shots.  

But Belujsky did much better in the fourth, forcing Cullen off the front foot and landing some heavy shots, including a two-punch combination near the end of the round. 

Both landed powerful shots in the fifth round, although Cullen did well when he kept Belujsky at distance, and he took total charge in the sixth, rocking Belujsky with a short right hook and then really starting to put power into his shots. 

Belujsky endured a tough time in the seventh and eighth rounds as Cullen went for the finish, but Belujsky dug in and lasted the distance.  

Referee Steve Gray scored it 80-72. 

Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.