Sergey Rabchenko beats Ryan Rhodes in seven

Sergey Rabchenko has claimed the vacant European light-middleweight title after defeating Ryan Rhodes in seven rounds at the Manchester Velodrome.

The Belarusian, who is trained in Manchester by Ricky Hatton, began on the front front and dominated the fight from the centre of the ring.

Rhodes had his moments. The 35-year-old landed a massive right hand flush on Rabchenko's jaw in the third but, although the 26-year-old staggered, he soon regained control.

It was all over in the seventh, as Rabchenko followed up a short left to his opponent's head with a glancing body shot, which sent Rhodes down.

The former European champion got to his feet, but the referee stopped the count at seven with Rhodes unfit to continue.

Rabchenko remains unbeaten.