Pryce could not get away from Hall's right hand in the second round

Matthew Hall won the Commonwealth light-middleweight title with a brutal second-round knock-out of champion Bradley Pryce in Manchester.

Local hero Hall decked the Welshman, making his seventh defence, three times in the second round before referee Ian-John Lewis ended the bout on the bell.

A short, stabbing right sent Pryce down for the first time.

Pryce fought back gamely but was hurt, Hall finishing it with another right after forcing his foe into the corner.

The 24-year-old's win took him to 20 wins against a solitary July 2007 defeat and the manner of his victory will have made his potential rivals in the British light-middleweight division sit up and take note.

Newport's Pryce, 27, made his sixth defence against Marcus Portman in June, his only outing in the last 15 months.

His first defeat since October 2005 takes his record to 27-7 (17 wins coming by knockout).

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