Nobody could be completely sure who had won when a standing ovation was given to both fighters at the end of 12 gruelling rounds of boxing.
The loyalties of the crowd at Huddersfield Sports Centre lied mostly with the home favourite, Dewsbury lad Gary Sykes, who was on the cusp of the greatest achievement of his career.
The vacant British super-featherweight title was on the line in March 2010 and Sykes had gone hammer and tongs against Andy Morris, in a match that went on to be shortlisted by the British Boxing Board of Control as one of the best of the year.
When the unanimous point decision was announced, Dewsbury had its first-ever British champion.
The whole town was tuning in to watch, and long-time trainer Julian McGowan recalls the history-making night.
“It was a magical night in Huddersfield,” he said. “He beat a really good opponent, it was live on Sky, and the whole town was watching. I’ve been in the sport for a long time but it was a ‘pinch me’ moment, it was surreal.
“Whatever anyone says about world titles, the British one is the one that everybody wants. The Lonsdale belt is all about the heritage of the sport, it’s about prestige.
“Not only did he win it but he won it by a whisker. It was an amazing fight.
“It was a fantastic night because we’d come up the hard way. We didn’t have sponsorships, neither of us were full-time, we worked incredibly long days.
“To get that British title live on Sky in such a fantastic fight was brilliant for a kid like Gary from Dewsbury Moor to achieve that.”
McGowan had first worked with Sykes when he was just 15 years old, although most of his amateur career would come under the guidance of Keith Tate as he claimed national titles at junior and senior level.
He made his professional debut in 2006 and enlisted the help of McGowan soon after, with the two proving to have a special bond. Sykes fought his way up undefeated and his 15th pro victory was the win which saw him win the British belt.
He would retain it twice, against Kevin O’Hara and Carl Johanneson, before losing the title to Gary Buckland in late 2011.
From there he would have to wait almost three years for the chance to win it back but he took his opportunity when it finally came on another special night, this time right in his hometown, against Jon Kays.
McGowan says: “We went through a period of waiting to get mandated. We were beating unbeaten fighters on the road and pretty much taking on everybody, stepping up in weight, prize fighters, people who were naturally bigger than him, just to get that opportunity.
“But because Gary wasn’t a massive ticket seller, because he wasn’t with a big promotion outfit, we kept being denied. It was 32 months from losing his British title to getting another shot at it. It was scandalous.
“By that time he wasn’t the fighter he was when he regained it in Dewsbury. It was just his sheer heart and sheer toughness that night which pulled him through. He’d been knocked down, he’d been cut.
“Regardless of what the judges said that it was quite close, he was behind in that fight, and the way he pulled it out was magnificent.”
Sykes would lose the title six months later and made the decision to retire in 2016, but his status as a sporting hero in Dewsbury will forever remain.
McGowan explains: “He had everything that you would want from a fighter. He was quick, he was strong, but he was just so tough as well. His boyish good looks belied the fact that he was an incredibly tough competitor.
“I took him to his first amateur fight and knew there was something about him. It wasn’t his skill set or anything else but there was something about him that made me know he’d go far and that was his toughness.
“He also had something rare that only the best of the best can have – he had gears. When he was in a tough fight he was able to go into another gear, and his opponents just couldn’t stay with him.
“He was a very good fighter. He’s the best fighter we’ve had come from this area.”
Box-to-box journalist 