Shannon Ryan survived a stern test and a late cut in her first ten-round bout.

Jasmina Zapotoczna provided a stiff challenge for Ryan, who rode a strong start all the way to the finish line as she earned a unanimous decision victory. The 27-year-old Brit prevailed by scores of 98-93, 96-94 and 96-94 in their battle of unbeaten junior bantamweights Saturday on DAZN from Indigo at The O2 in London.

Ryan (7-0, 0KOs) advanced from the eight-round level in her first regional title fight. The additional step up in class versus Zapotoczna (6-1, 0KOs)—a 29-year-old Polish boxer now based in the UK—saw Ryan handle the task in the early rounds as she built up a sizable lead.

Zapotoczna came on strong in the second half. Ryan was not only forced to fend off her aggressive opponent but also push past apparent fatigue in the longest fight of her career to date. Ryan also had to overcome a bad cut from a clash of heads in the ninth round to preserve her unblemished record. 

Also on the show, John Hedges remained perfect after a second-round, technical knockout of Germany’s Erdogan Kadrija (20-6, 12KOs) in their cruiserweight outing.

Hedges (9-0, 3KOs)—a 21-year-old southpaw from Takeley, Essex—connected with a peach of a left hand to produce the bout’s lone knockdown late in round two. Kadrija barely beat the count but was not in any condition to continue. Referee Howard Foster opted to stop the contest at 2:35 of round two.

The win was the first inside the distance for Hedges since May 2022. He went six and eight rounds in back-to-back points wins after that before Saturday’s verdict, which marked his earliest night to date as a pro.

Both bouts took place on a show as part of Matchroom Boxing’s NXTGEN series. Headlining the card, London’s Liam Dillon (13-0-1, 3KOs) and Watford’s Reece Bellotti (17-5, 14KOs) meet in a twelve-round, British junior featherweight title fight.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox