Last night at Glasgow's Bellahouston Sports Centre, British Featherweight title challenger Paul Appleby, 13-0 (8), won his most important test to date by outpointing former super bantamweight triple champion Esham Pickering, 33-8 (13), after twelve rounds.

Appleby was aggressive from the start and looked to tire the aging Pickering but the Newark stylist drew on his long experience to survive the onslaught and even win a few rounds later in the bout when the champion began to flag from the effort.

But Pickering, never a big puncher, just couldn't keep his 21 year old antagonist off and loses the third bout over his last four outings on points. Appleby retains the British Featherweight title for the first time.

The man Appleby defeated to win that belt, fellow Scot John Simpson, 18-6 (6), was also in action on the bill, outpointing Kenyan import John Gicharu, 10-3-1 (5), in a competitive eight round featherweight contest.

There were two shows of note last night, at University Arena in Limerick, Ireland and one Merseyside at the Olympia in Liverpool, England.

At Limerick, local hero Andy Lee, 16-1 (13), returned home after a disastrous first loss, to Brian Vera in America last March, and regained his form by dramatically stopping Philadelphia boxer Willie "The Gladiator" Gibbs, 20-4 (16), at the end of the tenth and final round of their bout.

Lee put his height advantage and southpaw stance to good use, keeping the American at arm's length for most of the night and rattling off crisp combinations that generally found their mark.

The veteran Gibbs tried to make up what was clearly becoming a ever widening points gap by winging big shots but his faulty defense led to a near knockout loss in the middle rounds as he was battered pillar to post by the Irishman.

Gibbs survived the ordeal and simply couldn't get to Lee until the last round when he connected with over rights that had the Limerick lad in deep water. A referee telling off of Gibbs for use of the head gave Lee time to clear the cobwebs and he was soon hammering Gibbs to the canvas. More...

Risum Boxing’s Kenyan super featherweight David “Silent Danger” Kiilu, 27-8-2 (14), will return to action after a nine-month involuntary break from the ring, when he takes on an opponent yet to be confirmed over six rounds at the Club Afrique in hometown Nairobi on May 3. More...