UNDERDOG William Warburton silenced Chris Higgs's faithful fans by flooring the Lydney fighter to win the International Masters welterweight title at the GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester on Friday night.

Warburton, 25, from Lancashire, only found out he would be fighting for the title two weeks ago after Higgs's original opponent Mark Lloyd pulled out with a shoulder injury.

Warburton's pro record going into the fight was hardly impressive, with just eight wins, two draws and 38 losses. However, those in the fight game knew he was much better than those figures might suggest.

A powerful left and right combination in the sixth round had Higgs in trouble and Warburton followed up in the seventh round, forcing the ref to move in quickly and stop the contest.

It was Higgs's first defeat in 13 fights as a pro.

Chris's father Bryan said: "We always knew it would be a tough fight – William Warburton has been in with a lot of the top fighters in the country and taken them the distance.

"Chris was a bit down after the fight but now he has accepted it.

"We watched the video together on Sunday night and it made him feel much better.

"He was way ahead on points, but got caught by a good shot. That's boxing."