By Chris Williamson

London, Copper Box - 'Ferocious” Darryll Williams (now 16-0) won a majority decision against Jahmaine Smyle (now 14-6-2) as the two served up another belter in a rematch of their April war for the English super middleweight title.

Smyle took the opener with his sharper work and in the early stages as Williams’ pressure seemed less marauding than in the memorable first clash.

In the third Wi'lliams reverted to type and his efforts paid immediate dividends as a right dropped Smyle to his haunches as the fight took on a similar pattern to fight one.

The red hot Copper Box arena saw both breathing heavily by the mid point as Williams’ short hooks and uppercuts caught the eye.

Trainer Ricky Hatton cut an an“imated figure in Williams’ corner as his more compact man continued pressurising Smyle to body and head and even beckoned his opponent on contemptuously with his hands down.

Smyle was able to land well-executed right uppercuts on the inside during a pulsating final round as the two warriors closed out another pulsating contest. Talk in the arena immediately afterwards was that the two could do it all over again and few would complain about this turning into a domestic trilogy.

Wembley’s Gary Corcoran (now 17-1) won a second fight since his only loss to Liam Williams in a British challenge at light-middle a year ago with a gritty split decision win at welterweight against previously unbeaten Larry Ekundayo (now 12-1).

The bout was contested for something called the WBO inter-continental belt but a clash of this quality was always much more meaningful than the belt. Ekundayo beat main event challenger Dale Evans back in 2015.

After a scrappy opener Corcoran targeted the body and landed a flush short right hook to shade the second.

Ekundayo looked for the space to box and move as Corcoran pressed and pressured to make it a gruelling and scrappy clash. Although not his preferred strategy Ekundayo proved more than capable of fighting in the trenches, giving as good as he got in a heated fifth stanza.

By the seventh the two were exchanging vicious body punches mixed with short hooks to the head as they tried to establish supremacy and Corcoran suffered a cut above his left eye during the eighth.

As Ekundayo was pressed to a corner in the ninth, a combination of short counter hooks hurt Corcoran badly. Two left hooks from Ekundayo to start the tenth again hurt Corcoran and a further left hook almost floored him in a terrific tenth and by the championship rounds a grotesque swelling had developed over Ekundayo’s right eye.

After a fittingly brutal final round Corcoran was judged the split winner in a fight where both men come away with reputations enhanced.