Sean McComb kept his career alive with a closely fought decision win over Ben Crocker at Sheffield’s Park Community Arena on DAZN.

In April last year, McComb (20-2, 5 KOs) lost a controversial split decision to Arnold Barboza at Madison Square Garden in New York. His skilful, composed performance should have catapulted him into another major fight, but instead it cast the junior welterweight into the boxing wilderness.

Unable to tempt any of the world’s top 140-pound fighters into the ring, the 33-year-old southpaw from Belfast has had to rebuild and start the long climb back to world level.

Crocker (14-1-1, 2 KOs) battled his way up through the small hall scene to win the IBF’s European title but McComb represented a sizeable step up in class for the 31-year-old Welshman.

He started calmly, refused to buy any of McComb’s feints and a beautifully timed left hook deposited the Northern Irishman on the canvass within the opening round.

McComb is far more comfortable when he can bide his time and counterpunch, but Crocker cleverly sat back and made him lead. The plan paid dividends during the early stages and Crocker leapt out into an early edge.

The fight was tense rather than exciting. Neither fighter carries fight-ending power but both committed to their attacks and exchanged hard punches when they did elect to engage.

Slowly but surely, McComb found his footing. He upped his activity just enough to take advantage of Crocker’s patient tactics, and although he had to be wary of the occasional accurate right hand coming back his way, the way he pawed with his jab gave the impression that he was setting the tone.

Crocker continued to enjoy success with his eye-catching counter right hand but he was in danger of waiting too long and letting rounds slip away.

Rather than grabbing the fight by the scruff of the neck, both fighters were content to box their way to the final bell. Crocker continued to look for a hard single counters whilst McComb feinted high and low, poked out his jab and tried to land his straight left hand.

The fight went to the scorecards and all three judges scored the fight 96-93 in McComb’s favour.

In the evening’s chief support bout, Gradus Kraus was taken the distance for the first time in his short career, but the Dutchman remained unbeaten after a painfully one-sided six round win over Scotland’s Scott Forest.

Normally a light heavyweight, Kraus (8-0, 7 KOs) weighed 196 pounds for the fight with Forrest (7-2, 4 KOs) but the additional weight didn’t slow down the the flamboyant, unorthodox 24-year-old.

The Peter Fury-trained prospect dropped Forrest inside the opening minute with a short left hand and landed at will.

Forrest bravely pressed forward but Kraus had too much variety and speed and the fight should have been stopped on numerous occasions. Referee, Reece Carter, scored the fight 60-53.

Tysie Gallagher (10-2), British and Commonwealth super bantamweight champion, successfully defended her titles with a drama free 10-round unanimous decision victory over Doncaster’s Ellie Hellewell (7-1, 1 KO).

Hellewell couldn’t utilise her advantages in height and reach and quickly ran out of ideas. Gallagher moved around the southpaw, picked her moments to attack and landed enough clean shots to eke out the majority of the rounds.

The scores were 97-93 98-93 and 97-94.

Undefeated middleweight Shakiel Thompson (15-0, 11 KOs) stopped Grant Dennis (19-16, 3 KOs) in the second round. The 6-foot-3 southpaw forced the veteran to take a knee with a well-placed right hand to the body. Thompson is an interesting prospect and now well overdue a significant fight and a serious test.

Ed Hardy (5-0, 2 KOs) easily beat El Salvador’s Jose Perez (15-25-1, 10 KOs) over six rounds at super featherweight.

Hardy kept things simple and although he had to absorb the occasional counter from Perez, he controlled the action from the start.