BOLTON'S Nicky Boyd picked up his career where he left off as his fight closed the marathon 12-bout show at the NYNEX Arena, writes JOHN TURNER.

In his first ring appearance for two years, he out-pointed Birmingham's Brian Coleman to extend his unbeaten professional record to seven successive wins.

Boyd, whose previous six fights had been at lightweight, shook off his ring rust to emerge a deserved 40-38 points winner of the four-round welterweight contest.

The only disappointment was the timing of the fight.

Boyd did not get on until after midnight, long after thousands had left following Benn's defeat.

Only a few loyal supporters were left to cheer on the 29-year-old, whose inactivity after a promising start to his paid career followed the death of trainer Phil Martin in 1994.

He now fights out of the Phoenix Camp in Salford, the same as Steve "The Viking" Foster, who added the Commonwealth light-middleweight title to his IBF Inter-Continental crown by out-pointing Chris Pyatt.

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