The Ryan Burnett unification win was the first to ever happen in world championship boxing on the island of Ireland.
A massive achievement – that was complimented by an excellent fight from start to finish to boot.
Hometown Belfast native Burnett scored a unanimous points decision over the incredibly tough and game Zhanat Zhakiyanov, who travelled over from Manchester and was trained under former Burnett trainer, Ricky Hatton.
After the fight Hatton himself admitted he thought Burnett did enough to win the fight but did not agree with some of the wideness on the scorecards.
The victory saw Burnett capture the IBF and WBA (super) world bantamweight titles and improve his pro record in boxing to 18-0-9KO.
Following the fight in Belfast, here’s some of what the boxing world have been saying so far:
Told he would never box again, homeless just a few years ago now the WBA&IBF bantamweight champion of the world – RESPECT #ryanburnett
— TonyKnox (@piedresearch) October 21, 2017
Adam Booth is a cracking trainer and talent spotter. The way he’s rebuilt his stable is remarkable #joshkelly #ryanburnett @SkySportsBoxing
— Scruffy Herbert (@Findus_ManCake) October 21, 2017
Boxing's own version of Game of Thrones in Belfast as @ryanburnett01 makes history @GettySport #gameofthrones @missnemmanuel #ryanburnett pic.twitter.com/4SfyHU6dqN
— Charles McQuillan (@photomcq) October 22, 2017
#Boxing #RyanBurnett makes history in #Belfast by beating #zhanatZhakiyanov by a unanimous decision in their WBA and IBF unification fight
— GoggleboxitTV (@GoggleboxitTv) October 22, 2017
@ryanburnett01 Congratulations, Norn Iron is proud of you, humble hero and talented fighter ?
— andyauto54 (@andyauto54) October 22, 2017
Really sharp he was! It may sound mad but what impressed me the most with his performance is he didn’t let zz wrestling phase him
— Waldo (@DeeWaldoWalsh) October 22, 2017
Exactly, getting marked up isn’t always a reflection of how close the fight was but I do think the scorecards were a bit wide
— Dylan (@Dylan_81) October 22, 2017
@MatchroomBoxing @EddieHearn @ryanburnett01 what about next fight for mr burnett at Madison Square Gardens on St Patricks Day??☘☘
— Dermy Kearney (@Dermy74) October 22, 2017
What a performance by all of you!! ???@PaulhylandJR @JamesT931 @ryanburnett01
— Dermy Kearney (@Dermy74) October 22, 2017
Got marked up a lot as ZZ was fighting on the inside and obviously head clash ect. That was a very tough fight for a young lad
— adi kot (@adikot1) October 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/ryanmark24/status/922078859222245376
Well done @ryanburnett01 last night, smashed it mate, catch up soon buddy
— Stanley Jacks Ltd (@stanleyjacksltd) October 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/ryanmark24/status/922076681434779649
No doubt big things are in store next up for Burnett. A 25 year old fighter whom his trainer Adam Booth has said is the most talented he has ever trained.
And that’s saying something, surely. Considering Booth has trained the likes of David Haye, Andy Lee and George Groves to name a few over the years.
