Lewis Ritson claimed the WBA intercontinental super-lightweight title after defeating Miguel Vazquez by a controversial split points decision in Peterborough.
The veteran Mexican appeared to keep Ritson at bay throughout the 12 rounds at the East of England Arena, with his movement and body shots wearing his British opponent down.
Ritson started brightly but struggled to connect with any combinations as Vasquez, who made his professional debut against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in 2006, used his experience to apply the pressure with constant jabs.
The 33-year-old had 39 fights by the time Ritson made his debut in April 2015, and the Newcastle boxer could not come to grips with Vasquez’s jockeying style.
Vasquez stepped up in the 11th round and landed two powerful left hooks but Ritson dug in bravely in what appeared a routine victory for the former IBF lightweight world champion.
Vasquez had lost four of his previous seven, including on his last two visits to Great Britain, ahead of this fight but was shocked as only one judge scored the bout in his favour – 116-113 – with the other two judges scoring 117-111 and 115-113 to Ritson.
