By Elliot Foster
Ryan Doyle shocked Reece Bellotti to claim a title.
The Manchester man forced a stoppage against the champion of the Commonwealth at featherweight to stun the York Hall crowd, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
Doyle, a former English champion, has come up short several times before, but has completed something of the fairytale story with the victory, as part of the latest instalment of the JDNXTGEN series.
The end to the fight came after the referee Howard Foster waved it off. Bellotti was badly hurt and floored in the fifth round and it was 62 seconds into the round before the third man –– who controversially stopped George Groves against Carl Froch at Manchester Arena back in November 2013 –– finally brought an end to it.
“I broke the bookies and we’re over the moon now. I knew what I had to do in the fight and I did it,” Doyle, ecstatic and just days removed from the birth of his latest child, said. “I got the full notice for this fight which is something that I’ve not had in the past, but Reece is a great champion and I want to thank him.
“I’ve paid my dues, I’ve done it the hard way and now it’s time for my reign. I was under no illusion that he’s a big puncher, that he’s a brilliant fighter and now I’ve got his title.
“Now I want to have a rest and get more titles sooner rather than later. I’ve heard that the European title has just become vacant and I’d love a crack at that.”
Also on the card, Louie Lynn dealt with Ricky Starkey in brilliant fashion and dropped his man more than once to stop him after two minutes and 31 seconds of the second round.
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