Sam Sexton took little more than three minutes to make the statement he promised as he stayed on a straight and narrow course for the British heavyweight title, writes Chris Lakey.

The Norwich man launched a stunning right hand that caught Hari Miles flush on the chin and sent him sprawling to the canvas under the lights at The Halls last night.

From start to finish it was 199 seconds and sent a warning to Dillian Whyte and Dave Allen that whoever comes out triumphant when they meet will have more than a fight on their hands against the Norwich man, especially with the British title at stake.

Chief support Nathan Dale's return to his home ring after an absence of almost a year-and-a-half had a familiar look to it as he beat Bulgarian Stanislav Nenkov over six rounds, 60:55.

Dale's career has been stalled by surgery to his right hand, but it works well enough, as a cracking punch in the first round proved. Nenkov got a final warning in the third for dangerous use of his head, but he was resilient enough, a frustrating trait for Dale.

Dale might have wanted the knockout, but there is still an element of comeback with his career, with just two outings since hand surgery last summer – and with a record of 19-0 he is a force to be reckoned with.

Norwich's popular Zaiphan Morris was a points winner over Billy Parker – although the Southampton man never allowed Morris time to settle in a mini classic.

Morris produced the better stuff, with both men refusing to yield.

It became a slugfest which the crowd loved, but perhaps not the sort of fight Morris is used to. However, the mark of a good fighter is the way he adapts, and Morris stood toe-to-toe, throughout, taking every one of the six rounds to win 60:54.

Lowestoft featherweight Craig Poxton returned to action with a narrow points win over Stockport's Jamie Quinn. Poxton was making his first outing since his devastating knockout defeat by Andy Townend in an English super-featherweight clash in March. It wasn't perhaps the easiest of returns: Poxton was by far the busier, but Quinn was clearly confident in landing a big bomb. A couple of uppercuts did find their way through, but Poxton was never really in trouble and in the end it was perhaps his shot ratio which won it for him 58:57.

Colchester's Alan Ratibb suffered a second-round stoppage against Manchester's Dale Arrowsmith, who landed a big right uppercut out of nowhere. Huntingdon light-heavyweight Matty Parr drew with Andy Neylon, despite the Hull man taking a standing count in the fourth.