After a messy third that saw neither boxer gain the upper hand, McDonnell sought to dominate with the jab although it lacked the usual snap amid fears that he is starting to have trouble making the weight.

But the champion had his best round in the fifth - a body shot opening up Otieno for a neat combination of blows that had the challenger on the defensive.

By halfway the Englishman appeared to have the African's measure, seemingly able to evade Otieno's aggressive bursts while scoring with heavy rights to the head and body.

McDonnell spent the seventh round on the back foot but the challenger was unable to connect cleanly and it came as no surprise to see the taller man reassert in the next, connecting with a solid right late in the session.

The 25-year-old continued to edge it through the later rounds, the 10th being a particularly good one for the youngster as his opponent found it increasingly difficult to respond to his accurate jabs and straight rights.

McDonnell emerged for the 11th like a man on a mission as he sought to become the first to stop Otieno inside the distance, but despite spending much of the three minutes on the offensive, the durable Kenyan never looked like stopping.

The champion continued to out-work his opponent and it came as little surprise when the judges scored it 120-108 twice and 118-111 in the Briton's favour.