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Lukas Konecny claimed the vacant European junior middleweight title in a blistering phone booth fight against Matthew Hall today, stopping Hall in the sixth round.
Konecny (45-3, 22 KO) and Hall (23-3, 16 KO) stood at center ring the entire fight and traded blows, with Konecny getting the better of the action almost the whole way. He was just that bit better both on offense and more notably on defense. Konecny and Hall both dug in good body shots early, but Konecny stayed with the tactic the entire fight, which Hall did not.
Konecny firmly took control of the fight in the fourth round, and dominated that round and the fifth. He staggered Hall with a left hook in the sixth round, and sent him to the canvas moments later. Hall was hurt, tired, and defeated, but he climbed to his feet and came back blazing, landing a hard left hook right off. But a right hand came back from Konecny, and finished the fight.
After the bout, the 26-year-old Hall said he's ready to retire, saying he had "nothing" in the ring. If he truly has decided to hang it up, we salute him for a great effort in his final fight. He gave his best, but it just wasn't enough against the rugged Konecny.
Our live coverage continues here, with Nathan Cleverly-Karo Murat coming next.