IT was a night of frustration for Conor Quinn as the West Belfast flyweight shipped a majority decision (116-112, 115-114, 114-114)  to Conner Kelsall in their Commonwealth flyweight title fight at the SSE Arena on Friday.

Both came into the fight undefeated, but it was Kelsall who kept his '0', improving to 12 consecutive wins, while Quinn must rebuild having slipped to 9-1-1.

This was a tactical battle, one that suited the visitor who just didn't allow Quinn to dictate the terms as he was up on his feet throughout, working well off his jab and any success the home favourite got, he was unable to follow up with anything against a moving target who was in town to box rather than brawl.

The former Clonard amateur was landing the meatier shots when he did catch up with the Yorkshireman, but just finding the sustained pressure his style is built upon wasn't forthcoming as he couldn't pin the visitor down for a sustained period and build upon any success.

Kelsall made the brighter start, circling and letting the jab go as Quinn seemed content to take the centre of the ring and take a look, shooting the jab to the body.

Again, the visitor was up on his toes and throwing the fast jab in the second, bringing the right into play but the Belfast man began to open up and show a little more variety as he was settling into it a little.

There were just a few signs Quinn was starting to solve the puzzle in the third, a whisker away from a looping right early and his stiff jab snapping the visitor's head back, but the rapid attacks from the visitor, although infrequent, were doing the job.

With Kelsall circling to his left, Quinn timed a right to greet him and this was exactly what he seemed to have been scheming, gradually closing the distance without falling into the trap of chasing the Englishman aimlessly.

It was certainly a bit of a chess match as Kelsall was boxing clever as Quinn couldn't quite get sustained pressure against an ever-moving target that was darting in an out on occasion to score.

Quinn enjoyed a good eighth as he seemed to be catching up with Kelsall, the body work slowing him a little and starting to thud home and had another good round in the ninth with his timing now a little better as he put punches together.

Quinn evades a Kelsall raid
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Quinn evades a Kelsall raid

But Kelsall was disciplined in his approach as his movement was not allowing Quinn to take this by the scruff and make it a fight on his terms, content to box and move.
It seemed to be a case of what you like, Kelsall's jab excellent all night but Quinn delivering a nice combo and vicious body shot in a close 11th.

Kelsall certainly thought he was the winner as he took off on a victory lap with 20 seconds to go, Quinn allowing him to do it as he too thought he had done enough.
But perhaps on refection, the tactical battle was won by the visitor as he was the one celebrating at the finish.

In the co-min, Pierce O'Leary was at his brilliant best to win the battle of Dublin, dropping Darragh Foley in the third with an uppercut en-route to a shutout points win. Australia-based Foley was all heart, but just couldn't match 'Big Bang' who is now perfect through 15.