Vanzie produces his best shot to swing it

He was floored in the fourth and seventh rounds by his hard-hitting Ghanaian opponent Laatekwai Hammond before stopping his brave challenger 23 seconds into the eighth round.

The Viper deliver a venomous right hand which sent 20-year-old Hammond crashing to the canvas for a count of eight. The brave youngster climbed to his feet but his eyes were glazed and referee John Keane had little option but to call a halt.

Once again Vanzie produced his power when he most needed it. Perhaps he should consider a name change to Houdini after his latest Great Escape.

Hammond was everything that was expected from his pre-match billing. He was big, raw and immensely powerful as he demonstrated with the right hands which dumped Vanzie - who had only twice previously been floored in 20 fights - to the floor twice.

It was an effective rather than a sparkling performance from Vanzie who proved surprisingly fragile when Hammond unleashed the right hand which had earned him eight knockouts. But the fact the Bradford fighter had the character to produce his most powerful punch when he needed it most speaks volumes for his character.

This was Vanzie's fifth successful Commonwealth title defence but the big question is, where does he go from here?

His awkward style makes him an opponent Britain's big three of Billy Schwer, Colin Dunne and Michael Ayers want to avoid. He also has the added disadvantage of not being a big crowd puller. It won't have pleased him that he was booed by some sections of the audience when he collected the Commonwealth belt.

Vanzie's frustration surfaced again after the fight. He said: "If Schwer, Dunne and Ayers don't want to fight me I will take my titles elsewhere.

"I knew this was a dangerous fight but I won it. The first shot was a genuine knockdown, the second one was a bit of a bustle which resulted in me going down.

"But I know I have got the power to beat my opponents as I showed again tonight."