Wins for Blackpool's Davies and McCloy at Guild Hall

Rising Blackpool middleweight boxer RP Davies produced a gutsy performance to defeat Mike Byles at Preston's Guild Hall on Saturday night.
Close in action between RP Davies and Mike BylesClose in action between RP Davies and Mike Byles
Close in action between RP Davies and Mike Byles

The 30-year-old, roared on by a vocal following from Blackpool, collected his eighth successive win to improve his overall record to 11-1.

He needed to display all of his skills, though, to outbox the heavier Byles, who was a late replacement for Sam Omidi.

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Davies said: “I was meant to be fighting Omidi, who was a light middleweight, but I ended up fighting Byles, a super-middleweight in very good shape.”

The six-round contest was a cagey affair at the start, but as both men began to tire the fight turned brutal.

Davies appeared to be getting well on top in the fourth but was stunned by a shot to the head by Byles just before the bell.

Sensing he could finish the job in the fifth, the Midlander came out firing but Davies weathered the storm to eke out a narrow 58-57 points victory.

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Headded: “I have to build on that because I would not say it was the perfect performance.”

There was other success for Blackpool on the night as young welterweight Alex McCloy defeated Sam Wall.

The 22-year-old picked up his eighth professional victory with a battling points victory.

Wall, who is 25 and hails from Maidenhead, prove an elusive opponent in the opening two rounds of the four-round contest.

However, McCloy really began to open up in the third and caught his opponent with a big left hook.

He kept the pressure on until the end of the contest to score a 39-38 win.