Photo Gallery: Ryan Rhodes vs Jamie Moore

This past Friday at the Bolton Arena, Ryan Rhodes continued his career resurgence with a dramatic 7th round stoppage of world ranked Jamie Moore. With the victory, Rhodes claimed the European 154 pound title and put himself in the mandatory challenger's position for the WBC junior-middleweight crown held by Sergio Martinez.

Photographer Chris Royle was ringside to capture all the hard hitting action.

Ryan Rhodes vs Jamie Moore

Photos © Chris Royle - Click on the images to enlarge. Salford's Jamie Moore (left) entered as the reigning European champion, having captured the belt with a 3 round destruction over Michelle Picirillo earlier this year.The all-action fan favourite brought an 11 bout winning streak into the contest, and an overall record of 32-3. Ryan Rhodes (right), the challenger from Sheffield, also entered on a good run having won his last 7 bouts, reviving a career that until recently appeared destined to fall well short of the promise once shown. As expected, Moore set a fast pace from the opening bell, attempting to overwhelm the challenger with heavy pressure. He succeeded in backing Rhodes up, but the 32 year old used movement and solid counter punching to hang tough in the early going. The intense action was starting to even up by the 3rd and 4th rounds with the bout developing into a give and take battle featuring a number of good exchanges. The 4th through 6th rounds were fought at a torrid pace, with both men standing in the middle of the ring and trading. Moore still had a slight edge, but Rhodes had several good moments. Rhodes stunned the crowd by landing a huge right hand early in the 7th. The punch caught Moore flush as he leaned in, sending the favourite crumpling to the canvas along the ropes. Moore quickly found his legs after the knockdown and proceeded to take the fight hard to Rhodes, only to run out of steam in the final minute of the round. A crunching right hand from the Sheffield fighter sent Moore staggering backwards into the ropes. A follow-up assault left referee Howard Foster with no choice but to jump in with 25 seconds remaining in the round. The new European champion, and now mandatory challenger for the WBC 154 title celebrates his stunning victory with his team.