Boxing: John Duddy's path towards a world title fight in 2008 will see the Derry boxer take on American Matt Vanda on February 2nd after he defeated former European middleweight champion Howard Eastman at a packed King's Hall on Saturday night.
Duddy was roared on by a sell-out crowd at the Belfast venue as he claimed the biggest scalp of his career to date when out-pointing former Eastman 96-94 after 10 hard-paced rounds.
Promoter Brian Peters said it "brought back memories of the Barry McGuigan and Dave McAuley world title fights" such was the backing Duddy received from the partisan crowd who hailed their new hero throughout the non-title fight.
Duddy's manager Eddie McLoughlin confirmed that the unbeaten Ulsterman will now meet Vanda in the main supporting act to the WBC world heavyweight title fight between Oleg Maskaev and Samuel Peter.
"That's what we have next for John and it will be another good test. The venue will either be in Connecticut, Newark or Atlantic City but obviously after a night like this we want to come back to Belfast," said McLoughlin.
"I thought John moved up a level because we knew that Howard Eastman was going to test him and he did and John came through it very well.
"There has been a lot of talk about a world title fight and that will come. Our plan was always to have it in 2008 and we are on track but he needs a couple more wins."
While Duddy moves ever closer to a major fight, Eastman now faces up to back-to-back defeats, having lost a British title clash with Wayne Elcock prior to Saturday night's loss, which he strongly disputed.
Former European champion Eastman said: "Mr Duddy fought a good fight, he fought an intelligent fight. My experience gave me the fight but he got the decision in his home yard. I just feel gutted.
"In the boxing game people want the judges to be fair and I don't think the judges were fair towards Howard Eastman.
"Mr Duddy did what he was supposed to do and I respect him as a fighter, the decision was nothing to do with him. I wish him all the best.
Duddy, based in New York, said he was "thankful" to Eastman for the most severe test of his career.
"I really enjoyed the fight and the fans got their money's worth and as you saw Howard and I were pretty much giving it hell for leather in the centre of the ring and I thought I did enough to win the fight," added Duddy, who hails from Londonderry.
"I showed I've been moving my head a lot more and I was quite comfortable standing right in front of him. He caught me with a few clean shots and I was able to take them quite comfortably considering taking shots to the head isn't very comfortable.
"Certainly it was a tremendous experience, I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that I have topped the bill at the King's Hall and a sell-out."
Another unbeaten Ulsterman, Paul McCloskey, won the first title of his career when he claimed the IBF international light-welterweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Bulgaria's former European champion Tontcho Tontchev.
There was disappointment for Stephen Haughian as he lost a highly controversial split decision to IBF inter-continental welterweight champion Giammario Grassellini of Italy.