England beating Australia is worth celebrating in any sport. And someone who can force the Aussies to throw in the towel - that's pretty unheard of.

So step forward James Hare who earned all the plaudits for his crushing of holder Julian Holland to whisk the Commonwealth welterweight belt from the Gold Coast to tiny Roberttown.

The six-round thrashing will surely catapult the popular Hare into the next bracket of top fighters. Who says that nice guys don't win?

Hare said: "I've always had dreams of achieving something like this. But even I didn't think it would work out as well as that, it's going to a while for it to sink in."

The Lord of the Manor, so called because of the stately farmhouse he shares with his family, reigned over the tough guy from Down Under who had grown up shoeing horses on a ranch.

But Holland needed more than a lucky horseshoe or two in front of a packed Huddersfield Leisure Centre.

Predictably there were early nerves from the challenger who despite being unbeaten in 21 previous fights was taking a big step up in class.

A Holland left hook grazed Hare's right eye in the first round but that was the closest the Aussie got. As Hare began to dip in and out with those trademark flurries, Holland grew more frustrated.

Hare's gameplan was working with the drip, drip, drip of his jab annoying the Aussie who began to swing and miss. As his throws got wilder, the gaps got bigger and Hare dived in.

Holland developed some puffiness around his eyes but the roaring crowd still wondered whether Hare had the power to finish him off. He had forced only nine stoppages in his career, using style and guile rather than old-fashioned oomph to do the job.

Hare's emphatic answer came at the start of the sixth. As Holland went on the attack, Hare glimpsed an opening and thudded a right hand to the cheek - dropping the Aussie like a stone. Holland wobbled up and tried to carry on after an eight count but Hare was on him like a rash, unleashing 10, 11, 12 piercing blows to the head.

As the champion recoiled in a neutral corner, referee Paul Thomas stopped the punishment and the towel flew across the ring from corner man John Giannarelli.

Hare said: "He was a very strong guy but I got him right on the button. It's not just about power, timing is just as crucial and I caught him perfectly."

Bobby Vanzie and Jawaid Khaliq were in the audience to welcome West Yorkshire's latest bona-fide boxing champion.

Fellow welterweight Khaliq said: "James looked nervous the first couple of rounds but after that he boxed really well. I had him a few points ahead even before the stoppage."

Bradford's Vanzie should have been in Italy trying to win the European lightweight belt. His problems have been well-documented as he waits another month for his Holy Grail.

But the sight of Hare humbling Holland will be a big fillip for his preparations. This is boom time for boxing in this area.

As for Australians being thrashed? Perhaps England's cricketers should take note.