• Junior Witter v Frankie Gavin

Gavin out-guns Witter to take British title

Frankie Gavin proved too strong for Junior Witter © PA Photos

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Frankie Gavin claimed the British welterweight title with a unanimous points victory over Junior Witter on Thursday evening.

In a turgid contest at York Hall in London that was barely even one for the purist, Gavin did enough against the negative tactics of 38-year-old former world champion Witter to engineer a relatively comfortable 119-109, 117-112, 117-110 triumph on the judges' scorecards.

"This means everything," said Gavin, who added the Lonsdale belt to his Inter-Continental title and Irish light welterweight title. "I've had problems with my family with my mum having cancer. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I'm back."

It looked like Gavin would struggle when the fight got underway, with Witter - a veteran of these sort of fights - enjoying the better of the opening exchanges. But from around the fifth round onwards Gavin seemed to find his comfort zone - and his greater fitness perhaps played a key role as he outworked his opponent until the final bell.

Gavin added: "Witter is still a force. He's someone I look up to and to share the ring with him is an honour."

Gavin was warned at one point by the referee for a few rabbit punches, but in the closing rounds his body blows stopped any chance of a Witter revival.

"I was nowhere near my best," Witter, who has recently called for a fight against the returning Ricky Hatton, said. "I just could not get my hands going.

"At my best I could have beaten him, but today I was not at my best."

With the victory, Gavin extends his unbeaten record to 14 fights.

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