Warwick ABC’s Madden shakes off a cold to warm the Assembly crowd

The victory justified Madden’s last-minute decision to fight but she was pushed all the way by the relentless Healey.

Madden produced the more clinical shots, but her tendency to drop her head too low when throwing punches received the rebuke of the referee on more than one occasion.

For her part, Healey stayed on the front foot throughout and the two boxers stood toe to toe in the final round, much to the delight of the packed crowd, despite having little left in the tank.

Someone who cannot be accused of running out of steam is Cleary’s ABC’s Danny Quartermaine, who produced another accomplished performance in beating Golden Gloves boxer Meshech Russell.

Russell was no mug, having racked up close to 40 fights, but he was unable to live with the indefatigable Quartermaine, who increased the pace at the close of the second round before bossing the third, combining vicious body shots with impressive combinations.

Fellow England prospect Lewis Williams was also a comfortable winner, claiming a unanimous points decision over Stamford ABC’s Alfred Smith.

Williams towered above his rival, who undaunted by his height and reach disadvantage produced some good work on the inside.

However, Williams, despite his languid style, always had the edge, with coach Edwin Cleary marking him out as “a special talent”.

He said: “Once he stops growing and fills out, he’ll be a special talent in two to three years.”

Fighting at 67kg, Cleary’s stablemate Jack Johston suffered a points defeat to Newdigate ABC’s Elliot Jellis.

There was little between the two boxers in the opening two rounds, but aided by his superior reach, Jellis took control in the final three minutes and was a clear winner at the bell.

The two all-Cleary’s match-ups in Saturday night’s skills bouts were deeply contrasting affairs.

Brook Milbourne and Patryk Salmon seemed intent on trying to land a knockout punch rather than showing off their skills.

However, Jake Finch and Jai Rai produced a far more enjoyable encounter, with both boxers working through their range of shots in a well-matched affair.

Fellow Cleary’s fighter Josh Finch, pictured, picked up an early bloody nose in his skills clash with Phoenix Fire’s Keane Sudworth but did not let it throw him off his stride, producing an impressive performance, while Jabez Thomas’ reach advantage helped him gain the upper hand in his clash with Matthew Sutch (Phoenix Fire).