NEWPORT'S Jerome Samuels suffered heartbreak in the first defence of Welsh Area light-middleweight belt as his brief title reign was ended by Ferndale veteran Barrie Jones at the Newport Centre on Friday night, writes Dewi Powell.

Jones dropped Samuels to the canvas after less than 20 seconds, which the referee failed to recognise, and then twice more legitimately in the third stanza.

The champion rose to his feet on all three occasions but referee Reece Carter waved the fight off after two minutes and 28 seconds of the third round when Samuels appeared defenceless on the ropes.

The 21-year-old beat Blackwood's Dai Jones a year ago today to become champion but hadn't fought for 12 months and Samuels believes he was the victim of inexperience and ring rust.

Jerome, son of British title challenger and IBF Inter-Continental champion Paul Samuels, was on a five fight winning streak after losing the first five fights on his career. Richie Garner trained Samuels until his last contest but the pair split and the prospect returned to Alway Boxing Club, where he began his career with but he's still yet to record a professional win under the guidance of Steve 'Sammy' Sims.

Elsewhere on the show, there was more bad news for Newport as St Joseph's Boxing Club member Frankie Borg was also defeated.

Borg was knocked out by Swansea's Chris Ware in the last second of the seventh round and therefore lost his Welsh Area middleweight title.

The pair share an interesting history with Ware beating Borg on two previous occasions; firstly as an amateur in the semi-finals of the Welsh Senior Championships six years ago and secondly in a non-title four round fight in December.

34-year-old Borg went beyond the call of duty and bravely got up from the canvas three times, all from Ware's huge right hands, but he was exhausted and unable to regain his senses a fourth time.

At times in the fight, Borg had his moments with straight shots and body blows but his success was neutralised when he was hurt by almost every one of Ware's right crosses that connected.

The British Boxing Board of Control's doctors quickly entered the ring to give Borg assistance for five minutes and he left the ring on his feet, recording applause from an appreciative crowd.

It wasn't all bad news for Tony Borg's stable though, as novice-prospects Morgan Jones and Kyle Jones continued their development with impressive victories; a knockout of Edmunds Sniedze and decision over Lewis O'Mara, respectively.

In the main attraction of Sanigar Events' Unfinished Business show, Trowbridge's Craig Kennedy knocked out Wadi Camacho in the seventh round of a gruelling coming of age war.

The cruiserweights had history and bad blood after their originally meeting in October when Camacho was controversially disqualified for allegedly biting Kennedy's shoulder.

Deep on the undercard, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Nathan Thorley thundered to a first round knockout on his debut, dropping Poland's Krystian Nadolski with right hands on three occasions and stopping the visitor inside 160 seconds of fighting.