Felix Cash climbed off the floor twice to retain his unbeaten record with a unanimous points decision over Magomed Madiev in their middleweight ten-rounder. 

The decision looked tough on the Russian, who dropped Cash heavily in the second and tenth round, while Cash also had a point deducted in the last as he held on. Cash was also cut over the left eye. 

Two judges, Robert Tapper and Yury Koptsev both scored it 95-92 to Cash, meaning that they had him winning all the rounds that Madiev did not knock him down in. John Latham had it a bit closer – 94-93. 

While it is true to say that Cash controlled most of the action outside the crises, Madiev gave as good as he got at times, particularly in the early stages. 

There were signs from the opening bell that Madiev was not going to go down easily, as he looked happy to trade in the first and had success. 

Midway through the second round, Madiev landed a huge left hook, catching Cash wide open as he was setting up his own right hand. 

Cash went down heavily and looked hurt when he got back to his feet, Madiev put the pressure on him, while Cash looked to bite down on his gumshield. In the final moments of the round, Cash started to come back, landing a solid combination and he did well early in the third too, although Madiev got through with another big overhand right and landed well to the body. 

After a good fourth, Cash look to take over in the fifth round and, during the sixth, it was Cash’s turn to capitalise when Madiev fell short. 

In the seventh, Cash was controlling things on the front foot, but there were still signs Madiev was a danger, as Cash opened up to the body and was caught by a right over the top. 

Things swung again in the last as Cash’s tank seemed to empty quickly. 

Backing up, Cash was caught by a right, which dropped him by the ropes and opened up a cut by his left eye. Suddenly, Cash looked exhausted, while Madiev was finding some more energy. Heavy-legged, Cash grabbed hold of Madiev and was deducted a point by referee Mark Lyson. 

Madiev kept going for the finish, but Cash held firm and had his hand raised. 

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.