At the Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England, WBC #3 and WBO #8 lightweight John Murray of Manchester, England, retained both his European title and his status as the British fighter with the best perfect record to date after his sixth stoppage win in a row - this time over determined Ukrainian veteran Andriy Kudriavtsev (34-8, 15 KOs) in all-action brawl. Time was 2:39 of the ninth round.

Murray, 25, and an aging Ukrainian veteran (Kudriavtsev turns 34 tomorrow) went right at it just after the starting bell. The fight was almost exclusively fought in close quarters with both boxers trying to land short but gritty punches with really bad intentions. Two notable details became obvious soon thereafter. Firstly, Murray (30-0, 18 KOs) was mostly working Andriy's body with hard left and right hooks, while Kudriavtsev concentrated on Murray's head which he tried to tag with straight right hands and (partially) with left hooks on his way in. Secondly, power difference between punches of the Brit and of the Ukrainian also turned visible in a round or two from the starting stanza. Murray was just a bit stronger and sometimes more active than his opponent but Kudriavtsev soaked in the increasing punishment and did his best to retaliate. He was on even terms with Murray in the first round and possibly also took the fifth stanza, which saw his last significant success in the fight.

Round six saw the Ukrainian starting to fade more and more under the Brit's fire. Kudriavtsev tried to walk Murray down but he wasn't that successful and was constantly worn down by John's attacks instead. Murray became even more vicious in the seventh but the Ukrainian stood his ground and returned some fire back. However, it was a taste of a stoppage just under everyone's tongue. Murray was pushing the Ukrainian man of courage from pillar to post in the eighth and was heavily working off his body. Kudriavtsev attacks became more and more sparse with each minute.

Round nine was all Murray's with just two or three visible punches by the Ukrainian boxer who tried to find safety in numerous clinches. He had almost survived till the bell, when Murray landed yet another combo and referee Manuel Oliver Palomo stepped in to stop the action and save Kudriavtsev from further punishment. Nevertheless, this stoppage seemed a little too premature as the Ukrainian was still on his feet and tried to throw some punches in return. The end was visible, however, albeit not in the same round, as Kudriavtsev had nothing left in his tank before the stoppage. Big win for John Murray, who is gradually breaking onto the world boxing scene.