By Elliot Foster

Jono Carroll claimed another professional title to add to his Prizefighter gong.

The Dubliner, 25, outpointed John Quigley by split decision in an absolute barnstormer at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, exclusively live on BoxNation.

The pair produced a certain fight of the year contender with the vacant IBF European super-featherweight crown at stake.

And it was close on the cards come the final bell.

The preceding 12 rounds were a joy to behold, with both fighters giving their all and Quigley rallying after two knockdowns in the second round to dig in, give his all and ultimately stay in the fight.

At the end of the pulsating contest, which was refereed by Steve Gray, the master of ceremonies Mark Burdis announced the scores as 113-114 in favour of Quigley and a pair of 115-111 cards which handed ‘Celtic Warrior’ Carroll with the victory.

For Quigley, it’s a first defeat in the paid code but undoubtedly one he can come back from if kept active, considering he had only four rounds of action before this fight in over two years.

Meanwhile, there were wins on the card for Sean McGlinchey, who outpointed Dan Blackwell over four rounds, as well as a debut stoppage for David Oliver Joyce and another inside-the-distance victory for young Lewis Crocker, while Tyrone McKenna advanced his undefeated record with a fourth-round stoppage.

And Alex Dickinson opened his professional account with a third-round stoppage against the rather familiar Ferenc Zsalek, who was bloodied and bruised as the referee called a halt to the contest.