By Mark Vester

At the Kingsway Leisure Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, Paul McCloskey (19-0, 9KOs) retained his British junior welterweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Dean Harrison (14-2, 4KOs).

The fight was almost over in the first round, with Harrison getting dropped two times and appeared to be in trouble. He was able to survive, but a cut suffered in the third round, and some additional punishment forced the ref to jump in and stop the action in the fourth.

"He did well. He's a tough kid," McCloskey told Sky Sports. "I know Dean and I've a lot of respect for him. He's an up-and-coming fighter and I hope he comes back from that. My timing, my speed and my accuracy were perfect tonight. I want to move on as fast as possible. If I can get a European title shot in my next fight it will be a massive bonus for me.

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