Reece Bellotti claimed the WBC International Silver Featherweight title after a clinical eighth-round stoppage of Jamie Speight at the O2 Arena.

He controlled the bout from start to finish as a combination of pace and power proved too much for Speight.

Bellotti had billed the fight as the “biggest of his career” and a cagey opening round, in which the jab provided greatest reward for the South Oxhey fighter, gave an indication of the higher stakes.

Speight’s record of 15-11 lacked the immaculate sheen of Bellotti’s 9-0 heading into the bout, but the 28-year-old’s ring-nous meant he presented the sternest challenge of Bellotti’s career.

Bellotti’s progress to date has been serene, with his powerful hitting, which is a rarity in the division, proving too much for all of his opponents.

This clout began to tell as early as the second round, as he unloaded a number of punishing shots and started to set the tempo.

While Speight was doing well to absorb what Bellotti threw at him, the Devon-based boxer offered precious little in response.

The third round followed a similar script, with Bellotti taking the fight to his opponent and Speight frequently being backed onto the ropes and grappling when possible.

A more even fourth followed before Bellotti’s jab again came to the fore to leave Speight wobbling in the fifth.

Landing sweetly on the nose, Bellotti’s blow with the left saw Speight’s guard drop for the first time on the night and a succession of punches followed.

Speight weathered the storm, however, and defended well to take the fight beyond the seventh round and into unchartered waters for Bellotti.

Bellotti is a tireless athlete though, and the length of the fight did little to quell his appetite to attack, which ultimately yielded the ninth stoppage of an emerging career in the eighth round.

He was on the front foot from the start of the round and Speight, previously so stubborn in defence, crumbled as combination after combination rained down without reply.

With his guard dropping and punches of his own not forthcoming, there was little option but for the referee to bring a stop to proceedings.

On a night of firsts, on which Bellotti made his live TV debut, he would leave the O2 with a maiden belt around his waist. The sense inside the famous London venue was it may not be his last.