Tyler Denny added his name to a distinguished list on Saturday night. Some of the greatest middleweights of all time have held the European 160lb title and now the underdog from Wolverhampton’s name will forever be on that roll of honor. 

Pushed on by a partisan home crowd, Denny (18-2-3, 1 KO) was too much for long reigning champion, Matteo Signani. Cut over the eye from a clash of heads and trailing on the scorecards, the Italian veteran couldn’t answer the bell for round eight and Denny’s unlikely story had another chapter added to it. The stoppage was also Denny’s first inside the distance victory.

To put things in perspective, when Signani won the belt back in October 2019, Denny was preparing to fight Linus Udofia in what would ultimately prove to be a second unsuccessful challenge for the English middleweight title.

Things changed two years ago. Denny was given a third crack at the English 160lb belt - in reality he was drafted in as a respectable opponent for the highly rated River Wilson-Bent - and gave a good account of himself until the fight was stopped after six rounds, a clash of heads leaving Wilson-Bent unable to continue. Denny won the rematch and hasn’t looked back since. The 32-year-old has stayed active, snapping the unbeaten runs of Bradley Rea and Brad Pauls and outpointing Macaulay McGowan.

Beating Signani elevates his career to a whole new level. The European title is a prestigious belt and generally brings with it a high world ranking and higher purses. Denny’s story may not be over yet.

“It’s the best day of my life, man,” Denny told Boxing Social after the victory. “I know people say about their kids and stuff but I’ve got the kids to enjoy it with now. 

“That atmosphere. I’ve never experienced nothing like it and it was for me. I’m lost for words.

“I was pretty pleased. I think it was the third or fourth round I got tagged with a shot when I got a bit too greedy but I felt alright. I don’t think I was too buzzed. I was bobbing and weaving after that and he couldn’t hit me.

“I was too quick, too skillful and my footwork was too good. Everything was too good. I was too strong at the end too. I was putting it on him and he was dying at the end while I felt I was getting stronger.”

“I don’t think people realize the journey this guy’s been on,” Denny’s promoter, Ben Shalom, said after the fight. “Literally cleaning toilets and doing whatever he could to make a living. Literally being turned away and worrying about how he’s gonna get a train journey home. Worried about when his next fights gonna come and when his next payday’s gonna come. Having to work jobs. That’s what British boxing is sometimes.

“He’s just kept going and he’s a quality fighter. It just shows that experience counts, activity counts and you’ve gotta have that perseverance. I hope that he’ll inspire a lot of boxers that are still fighting to know that they’ll get their opportunity.”