Sporting Digest: Boxing

ROSS HALE, a former dustman fighting in front of his home crowd at the Colston Hall last night, took the British and Commonwealth light-welterweight titles away from Andy Holligan with a third-round stoppage to become Bristol's first British champion since titles were first contested in 1891.

PROFESSIONAL PROMOTION (Colston Hall, Bristol): 12-rd light-welterweight (for British and Commonweath titles): R Hale (Bristol) bt A Holligan (Liverpool, holder) rsf 3rd. 10-rd heavyweight: J Ruiz (US) bt J Francis (Woolwich) ko 4th. 6-rd flyweight: P Ingle (Doncaster) bt N Swain (Wales) ko 4th. 4-rd light-middleweight: S Baker (Bristol) drew with A Jervis (Liverpool). 4-rd middleweight: D Darrington (Bristol) bt S Thomas (Cardiff) pts. 4-rd middleweight: G Catley (Bristol) bt C Davies (Cardiff) rsf 1st.

JACOB MATLALA of South Africa will defend his World Boxing Organisation flyweight title against the Ghanaian-born British national champion, Francis Ampofo, on 11 June at York Hall in London. Matlala, 32, won the title from Pat Clinton of Scotland 12 months ago.

PROFESSIONAL PROMOTION (Tulsa, Okla): 10-rd heavyweight: T Morrison (US) bt S Griffin (US) pts. 10-rd heavyweight: A Garcia (US) bt M Dixon (US) pts. 10-rd cruiserweight: I Barkley (US) bt R Enis (US) rsf 4th.