Scarborough ABC boxer Justin Rudd sees off Usman Mahmood in thriller at Harrogate

From the first bell, the shorter Rudd took the fight to Mahmood, who in turn attempted to establish his jab to keep his opponent at arms length. However, excellent upper body and head movement by Rudd allowed him to slip inside his opponent's lead jab to land his own shots.

To Mahmood’s credit, he looked to make use of short hooks and uppercuts himself in order to compete with a determined Scarborough boxer during an evenly fought round of action.

Moving into the second round, Rudd continued with his pressure tactics, switching his attack to the head and body of Mahmood, who appeared to struggle to keep any distance between himself and Rudd, who was now beginning to land heavy shots with more frequency.

Into the third and final round, both boxers appeared determined to dominate proceedings as yet again they met in the middle of the ring, exchanging heavy combinations.

However, it became evident that Rudd was now landing with more frequency to the body of Mahmood, who was forced back to the ropes.

Both boxers were roared on by an enthusiastic crowd but it was Rudd who was on the front foot, continually scoring with hooks on the inside against a tiring Mahmood until the final bell rang.

It appeared that there was little surprise when the judges decision was finally announced, with Rudd’s hand being raised in victory having been awarded a hard-fought points victory.