CRAIG Cunningham insists the right man won the Midlands super welterweight title after claiming the crown in a hotly-disputed points decision.

He ripped the belt from Jason Welborn, who was furious at dropping the strap after the latest area title cracker last weekend (July 16).

The two Black Country-based contenders battled hard for the honours as they headlined the PJ Promotions show in Birmingham..

The 10-rounder topped the bill at the Play Football venue, formerly the Futsal International Arena, in Hockley.

Rowley Regis’ Welborn, 30, would have claimed a second Midlands strap outright, after previously ruling as welter boss, if he had made a second successful defence.

Brummie Cunningham, who lives in Oldbury, instead became a two-weight area champion as he’s already in possession of the middleweight belt.

Referee Shaun Messer, from Dudley, raised his hand by a 97-94 verdict, a difference of three points between the two. He’d given Welborn rounds four, nine and 10, with one shared.

Cunningham’s slippery southpaw jab and cleaner punches had won the day over Welborn’s aggression, command of the centre of the ring and higher punch rate.

The new champion said: “I felt like it was a fight of two halves, with the boxer versus the brawler. I was picking the jab and winning at range and, when he got in close, he’d do his flurry.

“Some people had the score closer, others had the same result as it was. I’m happy, in any case, as I’ve got the belt. He’ll be gutted, I know, the same as I would be.

“I think the advantage I was given was about what I thought I deserved. To me, I felt he was only working up close, which wasn’t that often.

“I’m ecstatic with the win and it was a great fight in front of a good crowd, some of whom know both of us. A few didn’t know who to cheer for. You couldn’t go wrong with my fans.

“I expected Jason to train his hardest and bring his best to the ring, which I got. I’ve never shied away from a fight and I never will.”

The chief support bout saw boxing’s only professional poet, Matt Windle, score a six-round points win over Conar Blackshaw.

There was a bit of needle to this match, as the two flyweights were paired through a war of words that started on social media.

‘Matt Man’ had the last laugh with a convincing points success, for the loss of just a session and a half. Blackshaw won the fifth and probably took a share of the third.

Windle boxed and moved well and was responsible for the most eye-catching blows, mostly targeting the left hook to the body.

The punching poet is from Birmingham, as were two out of three involved in the other four-round affairs that completed the card.

Midlands featherweight title challenge Paul Holt, a Brummie-born resident of Nuneaton, took on the busy Joe Beeden.

Left-hander Holt stepped up the pace in the second half of the fight, with Beeden taking more shots than normal. ‘The Incredible’ went on to record the evening’s only points shut out, 40-36.

Lichfield’s Brad Foster was a part of the night’s second flyweight contest, taking on a man more than twice his age.

The 18-year-old, one of the youngest professionals in the country, wasn’t even born when Sergey Tasimov made his pro debut in 1996.

It proved a learning experience for Foster against the Bulgarian, 41, but he still only conceded a share of one round. The teenager was also warned for low blows.

Debutant Kane Baker opened the show, having progressed from the unlicensed circuit. He was paired with hard-nut Dan Carr.

The 26-year-old kept his guard tight and looked to advance with Carr, who was cut in the third from a clash of heads, warned for sLapping and headbutting. Baker prevailed 40-37 on points.