Defeat against Murray was Scott Lawton's fifth loss as a professional

John Murray has put an end to Scott Lawton's chance of becoming British lightweight boxing champion.

Manchester-born Murray stopped Lawton in the sixth round of a controversial fight in Wigan on Saturday.

Murray lost his title on the scales on Friday after failing to make the weight, and started the fight knowing he would not regain the belt if he won.

He will now have to face the British Boxing Board of Control to explain why he was not under the 9st 9lb limit.

The shenanigans of the pre-fight build-up did little to prevent Murray from turning in one of the most accomplished performances of his career.

Possibly with a point to prove, Murray made a storming start and unleashed a flurry of blows that knocked Lawton down in the first round.

The 32-year-old Stoke boxer, who was competing for the British title for the second time, recovered well and started to get himself into the fight, but had no answer to Murray's aggressive style.

After a sustained attack and a series of ferocious blows to the head and body in the sixth round, referee Victor Loughlin stopped the bout and allowed Murray to stretch his unbeaten record to 27 wins from 27 contests.

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