Doncaster’s Jimmy Joe Flint and Campbell Hatton shared a 10-round war for Flint’s Central Area title in Sheffield, and when all was said and done Flint became the first man to defeat the young Hatton.

Flint took a deserved unanimous decision on all three cards, by margins of 98-92, 97-94 and 97-95.

“I say well done to Campbell, no doubt he’ll come again,” said Flint, who put the pre-fight animosity behind them. “Great fighter, a young kid, he’ll be back.”

Flint said experience was the difference, and while Hatton thought he might have done enough, he was full of praise for Flint.

“I think early on I thought I was sticking to what we planned, he came on strong second half of the fight,” admitted Hatton. “I do think I did enough but no arguments. Fair play to him. We just learn, don’t we? I’d love to do that again. I’ve got the benefit of the experience of 10 rounds now. I’d like to do it again.”

Flint landed a left hook from the southpaw stance early on and Hatton tried to trap Flint on the ropes and work the body. The Manchester challenger was busy in the first, setting a fast pace and Flint was reddening up around his sides.

Flint switched stances often, and he had success with straight shots and his right uppercut in the second, catching Hatton, 14-1 (5 KOs), pulling out with his head too high on occasion.

Hatton had been booed to the ring, because the 26-year-old from Doncaster, Flint, had sold some 400 tickets and his fans made themselves heard.

Flint found a home for his right hand early in the third, with Hatton loading up and Flint punching down the centre. Hatton wasn’t slowing, but he was looking more ragged and his punches were losing their shape. Hatton’s head was rocked back several times in a round Flint won big.

“That’s lovely boxing, brilliant boxing,” said Flint’s coach Jason Cunningham between the third and fourth.

Flint, 14-1-2 (3 KOs), was looking like a handful and finding a rhythm, proving to be a puzzle that Hatton was struggling to solve. Hatton had to swallow another right uppercut in the fourth, then a southpaw straight left.

Trainer and uncle Matthew Hatton felt the fourth was Campbell’s best to that point, but Flint was looking confident and relaxed. 

Hatton was made to miss with some big swings in the fifth, but he was busy and kept coming.

Flint scored in close in the sixth in a session that saw momentum swing one way and then the next, with neither able to hold the upper hand and Hatton closing the round with a good right hand near the bell.

“Don’t get scrappy, don’t fall in behind your work, let’s keep that shape,” said Matthew Hatton in the corner.

Flint was marking up by the left eye but he was still having success and Hatton’s chin did not waver as he absorbed another big right near the bell – but planted his feet and fired back.

Flint was cut by the left eye following a clash of head that left blood trickling down the left side of Flint’s face from his left eye but he won the eighth by a stretch. Hatton was running low on energy, took several clean shots, and looked to hold towards the end of the session.

Hatton started the ninth quickly but Flint landed the eye-catching punches, including a left to the body and a left uppercut, although Hatton responded with a good left hook of his own. They traded big rights hands, then took turns teeing off on one another in an exciting frame that left both running on fumes heading into the final session.

Hatton tried to get physical with Flint but the champion’s work was cleaner and Hatton had to hold on in a terrific closing round. Hatton walked through everything that hit him, but couldn’t put a dent in Flint with his own shots and they swapped leather all the way up to the final bell of a central area war.

Hatton’s famous father Ricky "The Hitman" won the same title at the start of his professional journey some 25 years ago. What this does for Campbell Hatton’s career remains to be seen.

Nico Leivars scored a gory ninth-round stoppage of the Essex-based super bantamweight Piotr Mirga.

Mansfield’s Leivars, 24-years-old, worked well behind his left hand early, and in the third he had success with a hook that caught Mirga on the ropes, but Leivars picked up a nasty cut by his right eye for his troubles.

The referee John Latham told both corners between rounds that it had been caused by a punch.

The fighters shared a hard-fought and bloody battle with Leivars – leaking blood everywhere, especially down the right side of his face – taking control in the bout’s second half.

In the ninth, Leivars broke through with a succession of shots that dropped the spent Mirga on to all fours. The final shot was a left to the body, but an uppercut and several other blows had landed moments before the body blow that closed the show at 1:32 of the ninth round.

Leivars is now 6-0-1 (1 KO). Mirga dips to 7-3.