Lloyd targets Commonwealth title

Mark Lloyd is targeting a Commonwealth title fight after last night's win in Birmingham.

Lloyd's hard-fought points victory over Alex Spitko at the Holiday Inn means the punching plumber from Shifnal has had back-to-back wins since returning to the ring this year.

He hopes manager Errol Johnson will be able to secure a crack at Commonwealth champion Denton Vassell.

Lloyd reckons he can now emulate Richie Woodhall by bringing a major belt back to Shropshire.

He saw Vassell claim the vacant belt last month with an exciting points win over Lee Purdy - and the all-action 34 year-old is convinced he has the tools to hand the Manchester powerhouse his first defeat.

"I don't think he's any better than me," said Lloyd. "He's strong and can punch, but I'm always fit and can throw punches non-stop for 12 rounds.

"We both like to attack and it would be a great fight to watch."

Lloyd's latest win was hard earned.

Spitko, a Latvian based in Mansfield, opened a cut on Lloyd's left eyebrow that later required six stitches and his rough-house spoiling tactics made it hard for the Shropshire boxer to produce his best work.

Grabbing

"I'm just glad that's out of the way," said Lloyd afterwards. "He was leaning on, grabbing hold and making it hard to get my shots off. I felt fit and sharp, but it was a hard night's work. It's another win and keeps me in contention."

Spitko also ended the fight with a wound on his scalp as heads banged together frequently throughout their four-round clash on promoter Pat Cowdell's dinner show.

As always, Lloyd was cheered on by a sizeable following and they saw Lloyd dominate the opening round behind his jab before the action became scrappy in the second.

Spitko's mauling left Lloyd with blood dripping from a wound on his left eyebrow and referee Terry O'Connor looked at the injury before deciding to let the fight continue.

Lloyd used the ring more in the third and fourth rounds and slotted home accurate shots in between all the mauling to stay in charge.

By Matt Bozeat