Manchester boxer John Murray extended his unbeaten record and retained his European lightweight title after stopping Karim El Ouazghari at York Hall. Murray took the fiercely contested bout on a unanimous decison, but the Spaniard caused him plenty of trouble with left jabs and body shots.
But Murray's work rate rarely waned and by rounds nine and 10 he was well on top against El Ouazghari, who took a count in the 11th round. The final verdict was 116-110 117-111 115-112 in Murray's favour.
El Ouazghari took a count in the 11th and Murray comfortably got the verdict in the end - 116-110 117-111 115-112.
The victory extended 25-year-old Murray's unbeaten record to 31 fights - the best sequence by any British boxer. However, the manner of Murray's win against El Ouazghari, ranked 20th by the European Boxing Union, has raised question marks about his readiness for a world title shot.