Sam Eggington wins Commonwealth title in Birmingham

Sam Eggington won the vacant Commonwealth welterweight championship by stopping Joseph Lamptey in seven rounds.

After a slow start, Eggington increased the pace in his hometown of Birmingham which proved too much for Lamptey to deal with, although he disputed the stoppage.

Eggington staggered Lamptey backwards in the seventh round of his first 12-round bout, where it became clear the visitor from Ghana had a bruised face and was breathing heavily.

The 21-year-old Eggington saw his chance and pounced, calmly picking his spots as Lamptey seemed unable to do anything except sit on the ropes and cover up.

But the Ghanaian began to throw back producing a wildly exciting trade - which Eggington got the better of, landing cleaner and far more damaging punches. The referee jumped in after a few unanswered shots although Lamptey and his team insisted he could go on.

Eggington admitted he was in dreamland after winning his first major title since turning professional in September 2012.

“It’s unreal, it’s unreal, I can’t put it into words to be fair, it’s unbelievable” Eggington told Sky Sports.

“Every day today is different. I was boxing, doing odd jobs and Eddie Hearn gave me a shot against Denton Vassell and since then its sky rocketed, it’s brilliant.”

“I thought it was the right decision, I caught him with four punches, a combination in a row.”