Classy Jennings Ends Minter's Attempt to Emulate Father

Nearly 28 years after Alan Minter became the undisputed world middleweight champion by defeating Vito Antuofermo in Las Vegas, his son Ross was retired by his own corner after nine grueling rounds as Chorley's Michael Jennings retained his WBU welterweight title to silence Minter's sizable and noisy support.

Minter Sr, now 56, was ringside in the hope that he would see Ross, 29, achieve for the first time his own measure of championship success. Instead, the old fighter had to watch Jennings systematically pick apart his son's defenses before finding the power shots to end the issue.

Jennings, a tall lean fighter, is one of British boxing's more underrated performers, and he gave an early indication of his capabilities when he almost put Minter down in the first round with a straight right which landed flush in his challenger's face. Minter tried to rally but was tagged again in the fourth and was sent to the canvas.

Thereafter it was only a matter of time, although Minter battled back repeatedly to the acclaim of his fans. "Unfortunately, a big heart doesn't win you fights," one of his corner men observed ruefully after his trainer, Johnny Eames, threw in a white towel moments before the end of the ninth when Minter had been sent to the canvas again and was receiving a barrage of unanswered blows.

"He was a tough fella. He kept on coming and I had to be at my best," said Jennings, 30, who has now lost only once in 34 contests. "I knew all about him and had seen him fight so I knew that it would be a hard night for me."

Minter said he intended to fight on, adding: "I thought I would have the fitness and strength to win this. I haven't fought for a while and started slowly and got caught. You can't afford to do that against someone like Michael, who is so accurate with all his shots. But I will be back. Definitely."