Brave Steven Pearce goes down fighting
Stourbridge's Steven Pearce went down fighting in the eighth round of a compelling battle for the belt by the seaside on Saturday night.
The challenger was pulled out on the ropes with blood running down his face from a wound by the right eye,
A clash of heads in the seventh caused the cut towards the early finish in the 10-rounder, held at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool.
Pearce, in his first shot at a national title, took the fight to hometown hero Little, making his first defence of the English crown.
He eagerly threw big right hands looking to take the champion's head off, but they weren't finding their target. Little's cuter work often beat him to the punch, too.
The two regularly tangled in the ropes, with Pearce landing on occasion before Little spun him round to let his hands go.
Pearce tried to pull the fight back to the centre of the ring and work the body, but Little often lulled him into a false sense of security.
Bad luck was to fall on Pearce when blood was shed and, come the following round, the titlist stepped it up to force the finish.
He was again prone near the corner as a right hand made him crumple, with half of his body spilling through the ropes.
Referee Phil Edwards issued a standing eight-count when he resumed his footing, but did allow the contest to continue.
The onslaught continued as Little rained in with combinations, before a brave and bloodied Pearce was pulled out by the official as he attempted to swap leather.
Coach Shaun Cooper said: "Pearce did us all proud, he may not have got the result he wanted but he gave it everything he has.
"What a fight it turned out to be, everyone in the crowd stood up and applauded the two fighters for a cracking bout.
"Pearce took him into the trenches and gave that kid a war like he's never had before. That's what Little can take from it.
"At this level, no one leaves anything in the changing room and Pearce poured everything into both training and on the night.
"We've no complaints about the decision, really, he was probably behind on the cards and it was a pretty bad cut."
Cooper, himself, pitted his wits against Alan Levene in the other corner. The two boxed together on England youth squads in the 1980s.
Cooper said: "As soon as he saw me, he was like 'we had better get ready for a hard fight!' It was nice to see him again, despite the outcome."
Pearce is now expected to resume his quest to regain the Midlands welterweight title, as the mandatory challenger. Brummie Karl Wiggins is in possession of the area strap.
