Liam Smith has successfully defended his WBO super-welterweight title after stopping Jimmy Kelly in the seventh round of their contest in Manchester.
The Liverpudlian was considered the clear favourite ahead of the bout and he lived up to the tag after outclassing his opponent, who was game without ever troubling the champion.
Kelly had his moments but each time he landed anything significant, Smith responded with heavy shots of his own and heading into the sixth, he had a wide advantage on the scorecards.
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In the next round, Kelly's frustration got the better of him as he headbutted Smith, resulting in a two-point deduction, but his valiant bid came to an end moments later.
The challenger hit the canvas after a flurry of punches from Smith, and although a knockdown was remarkably not called, Smith kept up the pressure to force the referee to stop the fight at the same time as Kelly's corner threw in the towel.
Earlier in the week, Smith, who extends his professional record to 22 wins and one draw from 23 outings, indicated that he is interested in a showdown with former world champion Miguel Cotto.
Darren Plant
