Ireland hailed a new sporting star tonight when Bernard Dunne claimed the vacant European super-bantamweight title with a unanimous points victory over Englishman Esham Pickering in Dublin.
Before a vociferous sell-out crowd in the Point Depot, Dunne produced the performance of his career as he completely outboxed former European champion Pickering and left his face bloodied after 12 exhilarating rounds.
Bernard Dunnelands a right to Esham Pickering in the first round.
Dubliner Dunne was given the verdict on all three judges' cards - 117-111, 117-111, and 115-113, and will now be seeking to move on for a world title shot. This was billed as the acid test for the 26-year-old Dubliner and he duly rose to the occasion right from the opening bell.
Following a rousing rendition of the Irish national anthem by the Celtic Tenors, Dunne charged out from his corner seeking to track down the settling Pickering with instant success.
Dunne quickly landed sharp blows to body and head and one-five punch combination in the second round had Pickering bewildered, and just before the bell sounded he staggered from two overhand rights.
By the end of the third 30-year-old Pickering was bleeding profusely from his nose as Dunne rammed home solid blows from every angle.
Dunne, being roared on by his Irish supporters, was clearly starting to enjoy himself as he repeatedly connected with his flashing combination as Pickering continued to fall short with his counter blows.
It was now one-way traffic as Dunne landed at will and Pickering was being made to look second rate despite his determined efforts to get a foothold in the contest.
Pickering finally landed his first decent punch of the fight at the start of the seventh round but was soon under further pressure as Dunne continued to leave him frustrated by his speed and clinical accuracy.
Pickering, though, did have some success in the eighth and ninth rounds as Dunne decided to stand at close quarters, allowing the former champion to finally find his range.
The contest was now much more competitive, though that spilled over at the end of the ninth when Dunne connected with a punch after the bell and Pickering responded, pushing the Dubliner to the floor.
If seemed as if the Sheffield-based fighter was starting to mount some sort of comeback, but Dunne then managed to move up a gear once again and dominated the remaining three rounds - and in the closing stages allowed himself to salute the crowd in what was a momentous victory.
When interviewed in the ring, Dunne said: "Christmas has come early for me, and I want to thank the crowd - they did it for me.
"I'm just delighted to have won the title, and having shown the people what I can do, now hopefully I can go on and fight for a world title in Dublin."