Brave Hall misses out in title bid (watch video)

Hall's valiant but unavailing attempt to wrest the title away from Arnfield in front of raucous crowd ended before the 12th round.

Referee Howard Foster ruled that Hall was unable to continue - the boxer had a gruesome swelling on his forehead that kept getting bigger and more ugly as the bout progressed.

Hall went to Preston hospital immediately after the bout, though ringside medics at the time said it was precautionary.

The injury had been caused by the accuracy of Arnfield's piercing jabs and looked very nasty and from the second round onwards the brave Hall also suffered a cut above the left eye.

Arnfield, announced as from Blackpool in the ring but hailing from Stalmine, now has his sights on a British middleweight title challenge and few would argue that he deserves it on this showing.

Hall did catch Arnfield unawares seconds before the stoppage.

Towards the end of the 11th Arnfield got uncharacteristically careless and was caught by a stinging right, the best single punch of the fight.

But it was the sheer number and accuracy of Arnfield's blows before that which saw him home.