McKenzie tamed by boxing-minded 'Bomber' Bellew

All the pre-fight discussion was on how long the fight would last and who could summon the courage to fight their way up from the inevitable feast of knockdowns.

But is was a display of controlled, measured boxing on the back foot that saw Tony Bellew add the vacant British title to his Commonwealth light-heavyweight crown, outpointing durable Derby-based Jamaican Ovill McKenzie after a watchable 12 at Liverpool's Echo Arena last night (July 16).

Though short of the fireworks that made their first fight an up-and-down classic at the the tail-end of last year - which saw Bellew twice scrape himself off the floor in the opening six minutes to sensationally flatten his opponent in the eighth - the victor did what he had to do to get the win.

After sharing the first and edging the second on my scorecard, McKenzie didn't manage to win a solitary session after that. He struggled to find the punches that had seen him seconds from victory in December and admitted afterwards he was out-boxed.

And the three scoring judges all had it in favour of the hot-headed local puncher - 118-111 for both Richie Davies and Phil Edwards, and a wider 119-110 scoreline for Dave Parris that matched my tally.

Mike and Jason Shinfield-handled Ovill, whose professional tab now slips to 18-11 (7), pressed forward without throwing a great deal and was often picked off by a sharp and accurate lead by the 28-year-old former three-time ABA champion, making the third defence of a Commonwealth 175lb belt McKenzie wore for five months in 2006.

The fact he threw little is not a criticism, as the East Midlands-based ex-Prizefighter king rarely found himself in a position to let his hands go in a manner that worked so well in their epic first duel. To his credit, Tony showed he has more to his game than blood-and-guts wars with a back-footed display of controlled punching.

Bellew rarely stepped inside to land his much-vaunted right and though his opponent fought with more urgency in the final two rounds, he stuck to orders and racked up the points that added the Lonsdale Belt to his collection and keeps him on course to meet WBO world champion Nathan Cleverley (seated ringside) later this year.

"Listen, McKenzie is a dangerous, dangerous fighter," said the victor, who improves to 16 wins without loss (ten inside), afterwards. "For the first time in my life i stuck to my instructions and put on a masterclass."

In the headline bout on the much-anticipated Frank Warren show, Dagenham's Kevin Mitchell came through an eight-round thriller with Manchester's previously 31-fight unbeaten John Murray. Cleverly switching between boxing and fighting throughout, the former world title challenger  decked ex-European boss Murray with a left in the eight and unleashed a volley of blows that prompted the referee's intervention moments later.