Arnfield successfully defends WBA international title against brave Hall.

Last night at Preston's Guild hall, in a Co-Main event of a Richard Poxon and Neil Marsh co-promotion, local fighter Mick Hall 13-1 (1 Ko) stepped up to fight Blackpool's Jack Arnfield 22/2 (5 Ko's) in a rematch of the 2015 Middleweight Prizefighter quarter final, where Arnfield won a controversial split decision..  This time for the Blackpool fighters WBA international title over 12..  Hall having only ever done 6 rounds on four occasions was taking a huge leap into the unknown waters of a championship bout, but was confident in his diligent preparations to carry him through victorious..  Arnfield won this belt back in September beating John Ryder in a close fight in only the 4th time he had ever had to box past 10..   The bookies had Arnfield the favourite in what appeared to be a carefully nurtured needle match..  Hall appeared to start fast and force Arnfield onto the back foot, in an attempt to stamp his authority early..  the first 4 rounds could have gone either way, with Hall looking the slightly more animated..   at the 6 round mark I had the Preston fighter a round ahead, although Arnfield was beginning to look the more composed..  Round 7 saw a shift in command, Arnfield began to employ a safety first approach and sit behind his long jab, a move that proved effective, Hall struggled to penetrate the Blackpool mans offensive and began to take risks..  The Arnfield Jab again controlled the tempo of the 8th and 9th leaving the challenger looking for huge shots from unorthodox angles. Although still competitive, Hall began to show signs of wear by the 10th, undeterred he bravely pushed forward yet looked slightly desperate towards the closing 6 minutes..   Round 11 was much of the same, Hall using head movement to draw Arnfield's lead, yet struggling to land more than single shots. With 13 seconds left in the round, Hall fainted a jab and threw the punch of the night, a right hook detonated on Arnfield's chin, rocking the Blackpool fighter to his boots, with moments left to capitalise, Jack maintained his composure and weathered the storm..  Hall returned to his corner with a huge swelling over his left eye and forehead, where compassionate trainer Alan Levine made the tough decision to save his fighter for another day..   Jack Arnfield stuck to an intelligent game plan, and it paid dividends in scoring his 23rd victory and first defence of his WBA title..   Heartbreaking for Mick Hall on the night, but it's obvious that the Preston middleweight has a bright future in the sport.