Joe Pigford has moved up to third in the British super welterweight rankings after securing a thrilling win in a crossroads fight against Aarron Morgan.

The 24-year-old from Southampton entertained the crowds both at the Copper Box Arena and watching live on TV in his own unique style with a remarkable stoppage victory against Morgan in an enthralling contest.

Both men came into the bout with a 12 fight unbeaten pro record and knowing that victory would likely open the door for a major title shot.

Pigford often defended with his granite chin, and took some hefty blows, but stood up to them and let his own power take its toll as he stopped his opponent in the fifth round with shots so heavy that Morgan required medical treatment in the ring.

Pigford’s remarkable style is winning over boxing audiences and so leaves trainer Wayne Batten with a dilemma as they move forward.

“What do you do?” said Batten. “We worked so hard on his defence in sparring and in the build-up to the fight but when Joe goes in there he wants to win the war before the battle.

“His great assets are that he has an unbelievable chin, he’s heavy handed and has a huge heart, and it’s got him to 13 wins from 13 fights with 12 knockouts and a lot of attention.

“He is exactly what boxing is crying out for. He is entertaining, made for TV with his style, and that is likely to get him title fights and earn him some decent money, so it’s difficult to change him too much.”

Pigford’s domestic ranking and the increasing buzz around him means his next fight is almost certain to be for a title.

His team are hopeful that could come as soon as September and will be having discussions with promoter Frank Warren in the coming weeks to finalise details.

“Joe is improving a lot still and there is still a lot to work on as we can see,” explained Batten.

“He has had some top class sparring and I actually had a phone call after the fight from Ronnie Davis asking why Joe didn’t use any of his defensive skills as he was when we sparred Chris Eubank Jnr in the build-up.

“These are all things to work on but the most important is that Joe is still winning and is still progressing.

“Joe is having a short holiday now but then we are going to sit down with Frank Warren and talk about where we go now but I would expect the next fight to be for a title.

“I also need to thank Joe’s fans who turned out in force for the fight and gave him incredible support again.”