Boxer Tom Cowling loses in the Midlands Area middleweight title fight on a Carl Greaves Promotion card at Grantham’s Meres Leisure Centre

Newark's Tom Cowling lost his unbeaten record as he narrowly came up short against Staffordshire's Troy Coleman for the Midlands Area middleweight title on Saturday night.

In front of a packed and raucous crowd on a Carl Greaves Promotion card at Grantham’s Meres Leisure Centre, referee Kevin Parker scored the 10 round contest 96-95 to Coleman who now improves to 13 wins amd three losses.

Coleman found early success with his jab with Cowling (12-1) looking to set a fast pace in the opening rounds as the crowd got behind the home fighter, writes Tom Quinton.

The main event lived up to the bill as both fighters looked to push on in the middle rounds with Cowling landing some heavy body shots and hooks to the head with the Litchfield fighter using his jab and footwork to good effect.

With the bout in the balance heading into the final stages, Coleman’s experience showed as he put his foot down in the eighth and ninth round before a spirited late charge from Cowling in the 10th saw both boxers given a standing ovation from the packed arena.

The middleweight pair showed great grit and determination, with both fighters finding their own success throughout the back-and-forth fight, but it was ultimately the away fighter who got the better of the heavy exchanges.

Coleman’s hand was raised, much to the delight of the away travelling support, however the fight will be an invaluable experience for the Carl Greaves trained boxer Cowling in his first 10 round contest in a very animated atmosphere.

It was arguably a career-best performance for the Staffordshire man, who has taken Cowling's unbeaten record after picking up the Midlands title on his second attempt after spending the last two years boxing in Asia and Australia.

Elsewhere on the card, Newark’s Jade Grierson's (4-0-1) bout with the seasoned Vaida Masiokaite (10-25-6) was scored a draw after six lively rounds in the welterweight division.

It was another entertaining contest as Grierson looked to make early inroads into the experienced Masiokaite, who fought back gamely to share the spoils with the away fighter who is no stranger to causing the upset.

Boston’s cruiserweight pair Callum Johnson (23-1) and Tom Pogson (6-0) both recorded shutout victories with Pogson dropping his opponent with a body shot in the final round.

Former WBO Global, British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion Johnson will be looking for a potential title fight next as he remains well positioned in the UK and world rankings.

Jamie Behan and Shaydon Walmsley both kept their unbeaten records after solid performances in Grantham as CGP Promotions delivered another entertaining evening of well supported boxing.