Daniel Breeze outpoints title rival Natty Howell
Daniel Breeze prevailed from his grudge match with Natty Howell with the British Challenge middleweight title still intact.
Breeze outpointed his rival in a hotly-anticipated eight round contest on promoter Tommy Owens' show at Aston Villa Football Club,
An enthused crowd in the Holte Suite watched the Bloxwich titlist defeat Howell, based in Rowley Regis but from Aston, by two rounds with the challenger also docked a point in a 77-74 verdict.
The two clashed at the weigh in as matters continued to reach a head, with the match made the night Breeze won the belt on February 27.
'The Hurricane' started the better in the first two rounds, jabbing and moving as the big right hand from Howell seldom found its target.
The Brummie changed tactics in the third and managed to work his way inside, taking the fight into toe-to-toe territory.
Breeze re-established his jab in the fourth before engaging in another trade-off with Howell in the fifth, with both men feeling the effect of battle.
They went into the fifth with Breeze marked by the left eye, as Howell suffered swelling to his lip and right eye.
Breeze landed the more accurate shots as Howell kept on swinging without any real success, his chances hindered further by the referee taking a point off.
The man in the middle, Terry O'Connor, punished him for hitting on the break, leaving him going into the last round needing a stoppage to salvage the bout.
'The Natural' threw the kitchen sink at him in the final session, as Breeze met him head on, but it went to the final bell.
Victory takes the 20-year-old into double figures with 10 wins without reply, although a stoppage continues to elude him. Howell now has a loss after three wins, one by first round TKO.
