BRADLEY Rea squeaked past Shakan Pitters to claim the vacant European light-heavyweight title, emerging from their thrilling encounter with a fiercely-contested points victory.
Both were compelled to trudge down a bumpy road, filled with injuries and cancellations along the way, before finally reaching their destination earlier this evening.
The frustrating delay for his shot at European honours, however, ultimately proved worthwhile for Rea, who delivered, quite possibly, a career-best performance at the Connexin Live in Hull, England.
Two judges scored the fight 115-114 in favour of ‘The Sting,’ while another razor-thin reflection of 115-113 cemented his victory on the GBM Sports show.
The opening round saw Rea target the long torso of his opponent, with each attempt to enter the pocket being met with very little resistance.
Extending his impetus, the Mancunian even experimented with the southpaw stance while Pitters, on the other hand, fiddled his way through another discouraging three minutes.
It was not long, then, before Rea began to build a handy lead, his feet remaining quick enough to explode in and out of range with minimal difficulty.
His seamless display was only enhanced by a less assertive effort from Pitters, though, with the Birmingham man adopting a largely safety-first approach early doors.
In doing so, he lacked a degree of ferocity on the inside, as the fifth round, in particular, saw Rea land several promising uppercuts at close quarters.
But just as the fight appeared to be slipping through his fingers, Pitters suddenly fought like a man possessed in the seventh round, imposing his size to claw his way back into their battle.
From there, a momentum shift delivered several more moments of enthralling action, yet Rea, much to his credit, responded with a titanic effort in the ninth visit.
Equally, Pitters showcased a tremendous engine to cope with the intensity, while his opponent, at the same time, refused to take his foot off the gas in the championship rounds.
Both fighters then threw everything but the kitchen sink, making for another series of fierce exchanges before Rea deservedly got his hand raised.
“I love this; I absolutely love this,” the 27-year-old said in his post-fight interview.
“No disrespect, [but] I’ve been fighting on small-hall shows against journeymen. I’ve not been in fights like this for a long time – this is what I live for.
“Keep putting me on these shows, and I’ll keep delivering.”
Shortly after celebrating his victory, Rea admitted that he had scored the fight a draw, insisting that he would be open to run it back with Pitters.
