Two champions crowned on the Saddlers' turf

Both went for British Masters Bronze honours in eight-round contests in the spacious Stadium Suite at Walsall Football Club's Banks's Stadium, writes Craig Birch.

Halesowen's Clarke went in first for the organisation's super middleweight crown against Wiltshire scrapper Dan Blackwell.

The former White Collar fighter, an increasingly-feared puncher after a 14 second knockout last year, had recorded three stoppages in six professional bouts since turning over.

After that sudden impact, now was the time for the 23-year-old to prove he can box as well as hit because, make no mistake, there was no removing Blackwell.

The Trowbridge scrapper took his best shots from the off as he ploughed forward, Clarke teeing off from the jab to load stiff right hands straight to the face.

Blood oozed down from Blackwell's nose from the second round and forced him to take a step back in the next session, which only allowed Clarke more space to work.

He was landing almost at will but losing heart that Blackwell was not for turning, leading to a change of direction to ensure he didn't take his foot of the gas.

He went downstairs to hurt Blackwell with a stinging right hook to the body in the sixth, although he was later pegged back as the same shot back cracked him on the forehead.

But Clarke asserted himself over the last two rounds to ensure there was nothing for Blackwell on the cards, scoring a resounding 80-72 points victory with referee Gareth Morris.

Clarke said: "I have worked hard and it's paid off. From the seventh I had to dig deep, but I have got the job done and it feels brilliant.

"Fair play to Dan, he took a lot of shots. There was no chance of blasting him out."

It was much closer over an intriguing battle for the British Masters Bronze super featherweight strap between Wolverhampton's Bowater and Leicester's Lewis Jones.

'D Bow' lost his first rounds, again after six outings as a professional, and had to withstand an onslaught but got the job done in the end.

Both worked at high speed and traded often at close quarters over the first half of the clash, as Bowater's skill meshed with Jones' pressure fighting to make for a competitive affair.

It was beat you to the punch stuff as they threw shots and moved from angles with both having to suck it up to absorb blows, which often flew to the ribs as they came forward.

Meat started to come into Bowater's gloves as he sat down on his punches in the fifth, again targeting the body which got Jones' goat up.

They angrily butted heads come the bell, which led to a ticking off from Wolverhampton's Morris at the start of the sixth.

That spurred Jones into a new life as Bowater got dragged into a brawl, his head rocked back as he hastily walked onto a right hook.

He regained his senses and clung on, recovering enough to land a right hook on the break as Morris stepped in to separate them.

Knowing he was behind, Jones stepped it up with a late salvo mission, which forced Bowater to stay alert as he dodged out of trouble.

'The Wednesfield Warrior' could even afford to give away the last round as Jones couldn't find the cutting edge that was needed, having been outboxed over-the-distance.

Bowater got over the line by 78-75 in Morris' book, with Jones claiming two rounds and a share of another but leaving as firm second best.

Bowater said: "I have to take my hat off to Jones, it was a wicked fight and he proved he belonged in there. He was a tough and fit kid.

"I thought I won the first few rounds easy, but he stepped it up towards the end and he was really pushing me at the death.

"It feels great to be a champion, I knew he was coming to win and that's the sort of test that I want. I felt comfortable in there."

The other bout of the evening saw Stoke's Kieron McLaren outpoint Tamworth's Matt Seawright over six, two minute rounds.

Morris had it 60-55, evergreen veteran Seawright avoiding a shut-out by snaring a share of a session. McLaren is undefeated in four.