Matchroom's long-awaited return to York Hall was eventful, topped by Kieron Conway's compelling British middleweight title fight with unbeaten rising star George Liddard.

Before then though, there were a series of unbeaten prospects and fighters featuring here with a point to prove as they sought to finish their 2025 campaign with an exclamation mark on British shores in a eight-fight show televised on DAZN worldwide.

It wasn't the way she would've liked to win after an accidental head clash deemed Chloe Watson unable to continue, but Shannon Ryan boxed brilliantly from the off and emerged unscathed after four full rounds of their eagerly-anticipated junior featherweight bout.

Ryan raced off to a fast start while Watson was a step slow to throw and guilty of almost freezing rather than punching first during their exchanges, which is what happened all too often en route to a career-first loss by European champion Jasmina Zapotoczna on March 7.

Ryan's aggressive start caught many by surprise, jabbing and swiveling out of the way where necessary while Watson's right eye was suddenly closing quickly in round three after an accidental clash of heads in centre ring.

She clearly couldn't see, but her corner were willing to let her continue for one more round and the ringside doctor somehow didn't object. A spirited effort came in the fourth, though her distance and timing were naturally off as she bundled forward, Ryan taking advantage.

Thankfully, it was waved off in between rounds but not the way either woman would've liked their evening to go, especially Ryan being able to showcase after an impressive start.

Jimmy Sains produced a career-best display with clinical punching and pressure en route to overwhelming Troy Coleman, winning the vacant English middleweight title.

Staffordshire's Coleman (14-4, 6 KOs) was withdrawn before the start of round five, his corner unhappy with what they'd seen and how things would likely continue for their man.

There was no feeling out period as the pair immediately went to work and unlike Sains' ten-round shutout against Gideon Onyenani in May, that freedom spelled trouble for the visitor.

Sains (11-0, 10 KOs) whipped right hands and probed to the body early before they traded hooks in round two. Lee Every warned Sains for manhandling at close-range but while Coleman appeared increasingly weary, the 30-year-old held firm to weather a spirited storm of duress in round three.

Cut over his left eye and with a bloodied nose, Sains took his time more in the fourth and continued what was sharply becoming a beatdown, much to the crowd's delight. A merciful corner retirement saved him any further damage.

"Just very happy to get back to KO, over the moon, worked and trained really hard on improving and it's paid off," Sains said post-fight.

"Two belts in, got a lot more to go but a good start so far," he added, having scooped the Southern Area title at Onyenani's expense in the first-half of what proved an eventful year.

It wasn't the cleanest, but teenage bantamweight prospect Tiah-Mae Ayton maintained her stoppage streak with a fourth-round finish of Laura Belen Valdebenito.

Ayton (3-0, 3 KOs) couldn't mask her frustration at the Argentine's stalling tactics, frequently looking to stifle and spoil her best work as the 19-year-old posed an ever-present threat behind her right hand.

After twice being floored, first in round two and again two rounds later, referee McAvoy had seen enough, much to the anger of Valdebenito and her visiting corner.

They gesticulated that Ayton hit her with an illegal punch to the back of her head and while replays showed it was so, no-one will complain about seeing an end to precisely the sort of fight that teaches Ayton very little.

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn insists they'll continue stepping her level of opposition up nicely and said there's a desire for her to box for British honours early next year, perhaps two or three fights away now, as Ayton reiterated a desire to be 'in real fights' and made a point to apologise for what was an inevitable outcome in an otherwise frustrating watch.

In the evening's final non-televised action, another of Matchroom's promising middleweight stable was also victorious - Emmanuel Buttigieg - as he banked valuable rounds before improving to 10-0 in his first eight-round contest against Malta veteran Christian Schembri.

Buttigieg was cut over the forehead by a clash of heads early, though was never in trouble against a decade-long pro who endured attacks downstairs often.

That didn't deter him from firing back with spirited resistance of his own, though the 20-year-old was composed en route to a 79-73 win on the scorecards.

Six have tried but none have managed: Taylor Bevan remains perfect as a pro after breaking down and stopping a game visitor in Slovakia's Lukas Ferneza during their eight-round contest.

The stoppage came at 1:17 of the fifth, the longest any opponent has taken the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, and he'll gladly welcome that experience after taking his time to break down an inspired opponent.

Ferneza kept Bevan (6-0, 6 KOs) honest early, tagging the 24-year-old with right hands, and the self-critical prospect lamented his lack of composure after trying too hard to score a knockout punch in the early going.

Yet this was another valuable learning experience and one where he was able to flex his striking variety, head and body, as Hearn teased a Southampton homecoming before long after watching Bevan grind down Ferneza until he could take no more.

Bevan set up the finish beautifully, stabbing to the body with a right and crunching Ferneza with a left hook he didn't see coming. A delayed reaction came next, he went back down to one knee after beating the count and immediately concerns around a suspected broken jaw.

Adam Maca had it all his own way for two rounds, endured an unlikely scare in the third and unleashed an avalanche in the final frame before ending the night early against Argentina's four-year pro journeyman Juan Alberto Batista.

Brighton's junior featherweight Maca (3-0, 3 KOs) insisted he wasn't hurt, but the 18-year-old's legs and subsequent reaction told another story after being too comfortable behind his jab and switching stances in round three.

Batista caught him with a trio of big right hands, the first in particular seeing his legs stiffen on the spot, and suddenly the air of overconfidence had evaporated. Maca motioned him to trade at centre ring and Batista's boldness grew, though it didn't last.

Maca invested to head and body well enough in the early going to chip away at the visitor's defences and after catching him with two overhand rights, Batista took a backwards step.

That movement was all he needed to throw caution to the wind, landing combinations in abundance before referee Lee Every stepped in with little over a minute to go.

In the evening's opener at junior lightweight, Jermaine Dhliwayo scored a fourth-round body shot stoppage win over Mexico's Mario Victorino Vera.

Dhliwayo (7-0, 3 KOs) was in control from the off and Vera, four years his senior, couldn't match his increasing intensity.

He dug downstairs well and Vera (8-10, 3 KOs) had a delayed reaction before crumbling to the canvas. His attempts to rise and beat referee Sean McAvoy's count were in vain, the official time coming at 1:23 of the fourth.