On last night's Nottingham undercard, Ovill McKenzie needed a little over two minutes to hammer Billy Boyle in the opening round to earn himself a showdown with Tony Bellew for the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight crown in Liverpool on March 12.

 

McKenzie vowed to take care of Boyle inside 30 seconds and was almost as good as his word when he floored the former paratrooper after 35 seconds with a right hand. Sheffield’s Boyle rose at three but hadn’t learned his lesson and continued to march forward in straight lines.

 

Another volley of right hands had Sheffield’s Boyle on unsteady legs and wincing out of his left eye as the contest had become uncomfortably one-sided. Thankfully, referee Terry O’Connor waved things off at the 2.18 mark after an uppercut and another chopping right left Boyle teetering on the brink of collapse.

 

Prizefighter Cruiserweight winner McKenzie, now 18-9 (7), is better than his record suggests and all of his seven stoppage wins have come inside three rounds. It should prove to be an interesting test for the unbeaten Bellew who also doesn’t like to hang around.

 

In the fight of the night, Martin Concepcion booked himself the final slot on the forthcoming Prizefighter: The Light-Middleweights tournament (York Hall, February 26) with a narrow points win over Kevin Hammond to retain his Midlands Area light-middleweight strap.

 

A strong final round was enough to give Concepcion victory by just one point but referee Shaun Messer’s 97-96 scorecard drew widespread boos from the Nottingham crowd.

 

Hammond bullied Concepcion against the ropes in the third but the Leicester slugger fired-back with hooks and uppercuts of his own as the action warmed-up. Hammond’s attacks were a little telegraphed, but he maintained a high workrate and was prepared to walk through whatever Concepcion was prepared to throw back at him.

 

Hammond enjoyed a good fifth, backing Concepcion into a neutral corner and jolting him with a left hook, right hand combination. Concepcion’s chin, which has proved his undoing before, held up though and he managed to briefly force Hammond backwards in the sixth landing some decent uppercuts inside.

 

Lincoln’s Hammond, now 8-2-1, did miss a lot but seemed to land with enough quality punches to warrant the verdict. Kevin mounted a strong surge and had Concepcion looking ragged in the ninth after repeatedly catching him with some solid left hooks. However, Concepcion stood firm boxing off the back foot to impress the man who mattered in a gruelling ten-rounder.

 

The rest of the undercard

 

6x3  super-featherweight

Carl Johanneson w pts 6 Youssef Al Hamidi 60-55

 

Former British super-featherweight champion Johanneson eases back after almost two years out with points victory over awkward Syrian Al Hamidi to put himself back in the domestic mix.

 

6x3 super-featherweight

Gary Sykes w pts 6 Dean Mills 58-55

 

Sykes warms up for his impending challenge for the vacant British super-featherweight title but has to recover from an early knockdown (which looked a slip) to outpoint Somerset’s Mills. Sykes is now 14-0.

 

6x3 super-flyweight

Paul Edwards w pts 6 Andy Bell 58-57

 

Liverpool’s Edwards justifies his calls to be stepped up in class with narrow points victory over former British champion Bell. Doncaster’s Bell, appearing in his first contest since losing his British crown to Lee Haskins in November 2008, looked weight drained. Edwards, who moves to 6-0, announces his arrival on the British title scene and can look forward to a title shot later this year.

 

6x3 welterweight

John Fewkes DREW pts Scott Haywood 57-57

 

Unsatisfactory result for both boxers who were aiming to get their stalling careers back on track by winning this rematch. In their previous meeting, Fewkes edged Haywood over eight rounds (77-76) in Barnsley in November 2006 but must settle for a share of the spoils this time as referee Shaun Messer is unable to split them.

 

6x3 welterweight

Young Mutley TKO3 Scott Woolford

 

Former British champion Mutley’s power proves decisive in this crossroads meeting as he registers his first stoppage win in six fights. The 33-year-old is now 28-5 (14) while Woolford slips to 10-5.

 

6x3 welterweight

Dales Miles TKO2 Kristian Laight

 

Miles records his eighth straight win, his fifth inside-the-distance, with eyecatching stoppage over normally durable Laight. The Nuneaton journeyman, 6-72-5, hadn’t been stopped for 50 fights since John Fewkes halted him in five rounds in July 2006.

 

6x3 middleweight

Terry Maughan w pts 6 Craig Tomes 60-55

 

Maughan registers his second successive win since losing his debut to veteran Matt Scriven on his pro debut in October. Barnsley’s Tomes has only won one of his 15 fights.

 

4x3 light-middleweight

Curtis Valentine w pts 4 Ryan Clark 40-36

 

Valentine makes it two out of two in the pro ranks with routine points win over Lincoln trialhorse.