KEVIN Lueshing's reward for fighting through a week of turmoil will be a second shot at the world title.
The Beckenham fighter won the WBO intercontinental light-middleweight title by a split points decision over Nicky Thurbin in Cheshunt on
Saturday night and now Lueshing will benefit from Ensley Bingham's decision to remain at domestic level, by stepping into challenge WBO champion Harry Simon in South Africa.
It will be Lueshing's second world title bid, having unsuccessfully challenged Felix Trinidad for the IBF welterweight title in January 1997.
''I've got a contract in my bag now saying that, subject to WBO approval, I'll fight Harry Simon on February 19,'' said Lueshing in his dressing room afterwards.
Lueshing missed two days' training and a night's sleep last week after the British Boxing Board of Control drew attention to irregularities in a routine brain scan.
He was cleared to fight only on Thursday and admitted: ''The build-up affected me a heck of a lot. When it hit me, my whole life flashed in front of me. I've been in boxing for 23 years and never thought it would happen to me.''
Lueshing's cautiousness and Thurbin's gritty determination contributed to a messy but intriguing fight. Lueshing's added sharpness won him the 115-114, 116-112 verdict on two judges' scorecards, but Larry O'Connell gave Thurbin a 117-112 verdict.
Thurbin, with just one defeat - to Bingham - in 19 professional fights, was rocked in the third and eighth by hooks, and did not have the power to severely test Lueshing.
qROY Jones Jr stopped Otis Grant in the tenth round of their bout in Ledyard, Connecticut to retain his WBC and WBA light-heavyweight titles.
Jones recorded his thirty-eighth victory and thirty-second inside the distance - he has only one defeat to his name - and inflicted the Canadian challenger's second defeat in 34 fights.
The referee stopped the fight after 1min 18sec of the tenth round at the intervention of Grant's corner. Jones, 29, considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, dominated the challenger, sending him to the canvas for the third time.
Grant got up gamely but his corner decided he had taken enough and threw in the towel.
Jones hurt Grant with body shots and said he had made a conscious effort to add them to his repertoire. ''You can't get complacent,'' he said. ''I've dominated to the head all my career and wanted to show I've a complete arsenal.''
Before the contest, Jones indicated he was thinking about retirement. ''I'll fight a couple more times then get out,'' he said.
On the same card, Shane Mosley stopped challenger James Leija after nine rounds to retain his International Boxing Federation lightweight title.
qFRANCE'S Fabrice Tiozzo knocked out Brazilian challenger Ezequiel Paixao in the second round to retain his WBA cruiserweight title in his second defence at Mont-De-Marsan.
qTOP-of-the-bill at the St Andrew's Sporting Club in Glasgow tonight is a cruiserweight contest between unbeaten
Australian Chris Bacon who was born in Salford, and Paul Bonson, of Featherstone.
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