Sam Eggington, an all-action brawler as ever, blasted Joe Pigford to a crushing stoppage defeat, ending it with one second left in the fifth round.
For two such exciting fighters, they began relatively tentatively. Eggington used his jab cleverly, clipping Pigford’s head with it and sinking it into the body.
He brought quick right crosses in with it, catching Pigford off guard and driving him back.
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Eggington’s right hand troubled Pigford further in the third round. It caught the Southampton man on the side of the head. He threw the cross with wicked speed to disrupt Pigford.
The Birmingham man opened up with shots to the head before cracking his right to the body. Pigford is a knockout artist, but he was being knocked backwards out of their exchanges.
Defiant though, Pigford snagged him with a right. But roaring back, Eggington shook him up with hooks up close.
He continued that momentum landing his cross flush to the chin at the start the fifth round. Pigford snagged him on a right when he cast it down but it only a fleeting success.
Eggington zeroed in on the target. He wobbled Pigford badly. The Southampton man, his eyes looking vacant, opened his arms, trying to clinch.
But Eggington hammered in chopping hooks up close rocking him with heavy unanswered punches, stopping Pigford with a brutal finish. There might have been one second left in the round but it absolutely needed to be stopped.
Lee Cutler was the first Bournemouth man to box on the bill at the Vitality stadium, and the joyous reception for his ringwalk was an indication of what awaited Chris Billam-Smith in his main event clash with WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie.
Stannard however boxed calmly from his southpaw stance to open the contest.
That prompted Cutler to get more active. As Stannard began to let his left cross fly out from behind a high guard there were hints that the Harby man could be dangerous.
But even though Cutler picked up a nick by his left eye but he didn’t let that bother him.
He curled a right hook round in the fifth round to shift Stannard to the side and began to impose himself.
Stannard had to retreat and lobbed a left hook back at Cutler just to keep him off. The local favourite though pinged Stannard with solid single shots, leaving him with a swelling over his left eye.
Cutler was assured, snapping out an excellent cross and not rushing his work. It was Stannard who had to push to find success but it opened him up for Cutler’s measured counter-attacks.
The Bournemouth man’s cut started to bleed more freely in the seventh round. He kept the rhythm to his work though and brought Stannard onto a left hook..
They embraced to start the 10th and final round and Cutler continued to box cleverly, showcasing his head movement and winging a right hook over when Stannard charged in.
Before the scores were announced Cutler clambered up on a corner post to celebrate. Confident of the result, Cutler took it 97-95.