LEE CUTLER dropped Stevie McKenna twice to claim a majority decision after a 10-round thriller in Liverpool.
The pair had engaged in a heated build-up and the fight itself lived up to the hype as they served up a super-welterweight war.
Bournemouth man Cutler, who has not boxed for a year, could not have hoped for a better start, as he dropped McKenna with 30 seconds left of the opening round.
McKenna was up quickly and regrouped in a very good second round, where he landed with both hands to head and body.
McKenna enjoyed significant height and reach advantages over Cutler but the smaller man was able to slip and slide in the pocket to land with hurtful left hooks.
But it was a hard counter right hand which put McKenna down for a second time, with 41 seconds remaining in the seventh.
Again the Irishman clambered back to his feet and piled on the pressure in search of a knockout victory. But Cutler was equal to everything McKenna had to offer and stayed on his feet for the whole fight.
In the end, it was the knockdowns which won the fight for Cutler, with judge Victor Loughlin scoring him a 95-93 winner and Kieran McCann seeing it 96-92. Kevin Parker, meanwhile, scored it a 94-94 draw.
Now Cutler, 15-1 (7), is expected to be rewarded with a headline slot in his hometown of Bournemouth in 2025.
