Ash Lane completed the set of domestic titles by producing a career-best performance to stop Chris Bourke and win the vacant British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles at London’s York Hall.

Despite his patchy record, Lane, 18-10-2, (3 KOs), is a former Commonwealth super bantamweight champion and has also enjoyed success at bantam. He won the Midlands title way back in 2015 and earned his opportunity to fight for the British title by stopping the previously-unbeaten Jordan Purkiss to win the English title last June. He fell short in his first attempt to win a British belt when he lost to Brad Foster back in 2019 but he fought like a man possessed against Bourke and the years of determination and hard work paid dividends.

After 13 years as a professional, 33-year-old Ashley Lane can call himself a British champion.

Two years ago, Streatham’s Bourke, 13-2 (8 KOs), fell short in his own bid for the British super bantamweight title when he was outpointed by the slick Marc Leach. He spent some time recovering from the injuries he picked up before and during the fight and decided that he would return to action at 118lbs.

Maybe believing that Bourke was tight at the weight, Lane pressed the pace form the very start but although he tried to apply pressure there was little method to his attacks and Bourke was content to move away, measure him with his jab and send straight left hands through the middle.

Lane ended the opener with a cut over his right eye. Referee Lee Every declared that the injury was caused by a punch but television replays showed it may have been caused by a clash of heads.

Bourke spent time training at Team GB and although it was a frantic opening to the fight, his better-quality work kept him ahead. Bourke was composed defensively and picked his punches well. Lane succeeded in making the third a close quarters, mauling affair but although he let more punches go, the quality work still came from Bourke. One well-timed left uppercut sent Lane’s head rocking back but the man from Northampton did return fire with a right hand of his own. The tide had definitely begun to turn. 

Lane had built up a head of steam and was a bundle of energy, crowding Bourke and taking away his leverages. There didn’t seem to be much on his shots but the constant drip-drip-drip of punches seemed to be slowly eroding Bourke’s gas tank. The fight was an extreme battle of styles, when Bourke found time, he could use his superior skills to pick Lane apart but when Lane could get close and let his hands go, he was outworking the man from Streatham.

Bourke looked tired before he answered the bell for the sixth. The determined Lane was walking through shots which had put paid to fully blown super bantamweights and was succeeding in making it a gruelling, grinding battle. Suddenly, Bourke came apart after taking a right hand and a left hook. He sagged into the ropes and Lane swarmed him. The punches continued to flow as Bourke reeled around on the ropes and Lane eventually bundled him to the canvas. Lane wasn’t going to be denied. He jumped straight back on Bourke and Every jumped in to stop the fight at 2:09 of round number six.

“My life’s been up and down. I’ve been homeless, suicidal and had nowhere to live,” the new champion said. “Brutal. Ever since I was 15 and I first started boxing, I had an interview with Matt Bozeat as an amateur. he asked me what my aspirations were. I told him nobody from Northampton has ever won a British title and that’s my target. Here I am. I’m the first from Northampton. 

“Now I’ve won the British I’m going to have even more people on my tail but I can tell you categorically that one fighter is on my mind. Thomas Essomba who’s got the European title. Let’s put it all on the line. British, Commonwealth and European titles. Let’s do it this summer.”