After a long career, first at light welter before dropping down a weight class, Jon Thaxton won the vacant European Lightweight title with a third round knockout of Spain's Juan Carlos Diaz Melero last night at The Showground in Norwich, England.

Despite Melero having been a European Champ previously, Thaxton had fought the better competition of the two and that edge in experience showed as the southpaw controlled the pace of the bout and avoided much of the Spaniard's efforts.

After having won the first two frames, Thaxton began to tighten his bead on Melero and suddenly floored the visitor with a perfect counter right hook that stopped the bout at 2:29 of third.

Thaxton improves to 34-8 (19) while picking up the vacant European Lightweight title and Melero drops to 36-2 (19), both losses by knockout in European title bouts.

Danny McIntosh, 8-0 (3), won the vacant English Light Heavyweight crown with a seventh round stoppage of Steve Spartacus, 19-5 (11), in a competitive scrap.

Welterweight prospect John O'Donnell, 19-1 (8), continued his comeback with a fourth round finishing of Sergejs Savrinovics, 4-9-1 (2), and former WBO Heavyweight Champion Herbie Hide, 45-4 (42), returned to fight in England for the first time since 2004 to crush Aleksejs Kosobokovs, 12-10 (5), in the third.

Norwich, England's leading exponent of the fistic arts, Jon Thaxton, returns tonight at the Showground in his hometown where the lightweight will make a second bid at the European title as he faces Spain's Juan Carlos Diaz Melero over a scheduled 12 rounds.

Seasoned southpaw Thaxton, 33-8 (18), turned pro in 1992 and came up the hard way, battling as a light welterweight and proving his toughness once and for all in a thrilling back and forth war with Ricky Hatton for the British title in which "Jono" lost by only four points, 117-113 after twelve brutal rounds.

The fight stands as one of the more difficult in Hatton's long career and after a failed bid at the Commonwealth crown against big Belfast puncher Eamonn Magee a year and a half later, Thaxton began to campaign as a lightweight.

The stocky Norfolk man ran up 12 straight victories after that, capturing the WBF and British titles in the process and earned a shot at European Champ Yuri Romanov in April of this year at London's York Hall.

Thaxton was competitive against the Belarus Brit spoiler but was pulled out by his corner in the sixth when cuts suffered during the bout became too severe for a continuation of hostilities.

Facing Thaxton tonight at Norwich will be former Spanish and current European Union titlist Juan Carlos Diaz Melero, 36-1 (19). More...

Herbie Hide will have his first fight in Britain for four years in a non-title eight round bout at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich on Saturday, 4th October.

The former world heavyweight champion boxes in an eight-round bout against Aleksejs Kosobokovs (Latvia), who has won two of his last three fights by first round stoppage and went the distance with Willi Fischer (Germany) last year. More...

Jon Thaxton believes victory over Juan Carlos Diaz Melero on Saturday will put him in contention for the World Lightweight title.

Norwich’s former British champion faces Juan Carlos Diaz Melero of Spain for the vacant European Lightweight title at the Norfolk Showground as top of the bill on the Hennessy Sport’s show live on ITV4 ‘Big Fight Live. More...

Jon Thaxton is confident that sparring with former world champion Junior Witter will ensure he is crowned European lightweight champion on Saturday.

Thaxton goes for glory at the Norfolk Showground which will be televised live on ITV4 “Big Fight Live” show as part of a new deal with Hennessy Sports. More...

Danny McIntosh is confident he will go on to fight for bigger titles after Saturday’s English Light Heavyweight title challenge against Steve Spartacus.

The Norwich boxer has won all of his seven fights and will be seeking to keep his home fans happy when he takes on experienced Ipswich warrior Spartacus at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich. More...

Steve Spartacus is looking forward to silencing 'big mouth' Danny McIntosh when the two East Anglia light-heavyweights collide for the English title at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich on Saturday, 4th October.

The Ipswich v Norwich clash is chief support on the 'Let's Be Having You' Hennessy Sports promotion that sees Norwich lightweight Jon Thaxton box Spain's Juan Carlos Diaz Melero for the European title as top of the bill. ITV4 will screen the action live from 8.45pm. More...

Steve Spartacus and Danny McIntosh will dispute the vacant English Light-Heavyweight title in what promises to be a classic East Anglia derby at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich on Saturday, October, 4.

Ipswich warrior Spartacus will be trying to regain the English title he won five years ago, while Norwich hero McIntosh has built up a seven-fight unbeaten record. More...

Jon Thaxton is promising to show why he can still become a genuine world title contender when he boxes Juan Carlos Diaz Melero for the vacant European Lightweight title at Norfolk Showground in Norwich on Saturday, October 4, 2008.

The former British champion last fought in a European title fight and after a courageous effort the Norwich boxer was stopped by a nasty cut over his right eye that needed 12 stitches against world top ten ranked Yuri Romanov of Russia at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. More...

Hennessy Sports proudly announce tickets on sale now for "Let's Be Having You", Jon Thaxton's challenge for the vacant European Lightweight Championship against Spain's Juan Carlos Melero which takes place Saturday, October 4, 2008 at Norfolk Showground in Norwich, England. More...