Crolla vs Burns results: Mimoune upsets Eggington, Ritson takes British title

Any talk of welterweight Sam Eggington coming to the United States and HBO airwaves in the near future surely ended today, as the British fighter dropped the European welterweight title to France’s Mohamed Mimoune by split decision in Manchester.

Scores were 116-112 and 115-113 for Mimoune, and 116-112 for Eggington.

It’s obviously a major setback for Eggington (21-4, 13 KO), who struggled to deal with the boxing skill of Mimoune (19-2, 2 KO), and said after the fight that he had trouble making weight, and would need to move up to 154 pounds.

At 23, there’s time for Eggington to get in the race in a new division, surely, but this is the sort of loss that will create doubts about his ability to go beyond domestic/European level.

For Mimoune, 30, it’s a career-best win, his eighth straight after he dropped two of three in 2013.

Lewis Ritson improved to 13-0 (7 KO) with a wipeout victory over Robbie Barrett (15-3-1, 1 KO), claiming the British lightweight title via seventh round TKO. Ritson dominated the action, dropping Barrett once in the second round, twice in the sixth round, and a final time in the seventh before Barrett’s corner threw in the towel.

Ritson, 24, is British champion now just two and a half years after turning pro. Barrett, 25, was coming off of an upset win over Scotty Cardle in April, where he claimed the title he lost today.