Ebanie Bridges' relentless energy and the roar of the Leeds crowd spurred the Australian onto become the new IBF women's bantamweight champion.
While Bridges was full of confidence going into the contest, there were some fears that she could come unstuck against Maria Cecilia Roman who has 23 professional fights on her record.
Bridges work rate was immediate from the opening bell. 'The Blonde Bomber' was firing off jabs at a fast rate as she looked to break Roman's high guard.
The high volume of punches being thrown by Bridges gave the Australian a healthy lead on the cards after the first three rounds.
While Roman looked more active from the fourth round onwards, Bridges stood firm as she ate some big shots from the Argentine.
Come the announcement of the judges' scorecards, two cards reflected the closely fought contest with a 97-93 score in favour of Bridges, while one judge scored the fight 100-91 to 'The Blonde Bomber', which prompted some gasps from the media ringside.
As she celebrated with her head trainer Mark Tibbs, plenty of praise has to be given to the Australian. She may not be liked by some fans, but Bridges has immersed herself in the sport, whether it be the antics at weigh-ins or thriving off the passionate support in her home city of Leeds, 'The Blonde Bomber' has arrived on the world stage.
Maxi Hughes retains IBO title
Maxi Hughes retained his IBO world lightweight title following a majority decision win against Ryan Walsh.
At Thursday’s press conference, Walsh was wanting Hughes to engage in a brawl, but the defending champion resisted the temptation and instead produced a measured and disciplined performance.
Just like the win against Jovanni Straffon, Hughes frequently went into the pocket and traded, but knew when to keep Walsh at range.
There was also more polish to Hughes’ style inside the ring, a clear consequence of turning full-time and now with a first title defence under his belt, a clash with a top 10 ranked lightweight shouldn’t be too far away.
Wins for Nicolson and Smith
Further down the card there were wins for Skye Nicolson who beat Bec Connolly on points, and Dalton Smith, who beat Ray Moylette after his team threw in the towel in the tenth and final round of their super lightweight contest.
Smith showcased the technical skills which has generated plenty of excitement amongst fans, and while Moylette gave a good account of himself in the early stages, his work rate decreased towards the final few rounds.
But while Smith looked like he would never lose control of the fight at any point, he was penalised for two low blows in rounds seven and eight, which did take the shine of his tenth professional win.
However, the Sheffield man didn’t let these warning and deductions affect his gameplan, with two hard-hitting left hooks in round 10, he forced Moylette’s team to concede.
2022 could be a breakout year for Smith and his stoppage win over Moylette isn't a bad way to start.