DARLINGTON'S Stuart Hall has tonight taken a huge step towards a world title shot after cleverly out-pointing highly-rated American Sergio Perales to claim the vacant IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight belt.

On a memorable night at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium, the cool and collected Hall cruised to a unanimous points win to inflict only the second defeat of Perales' 24-bout professional career.

With the exception of a strong fourth round from the Texan ranked fifth best in the world, Hall started and finished strongly while maintaining his focus throughout to make it 16 wins from his 18 fights which has also earned him Commonwealth and British titles.

Perales, who felt he had done enough to win, was left stunned, while Hall elated by the judges' 117-111, 117-111 and 115-113 scorecards – which has strengthened Hall's claims for a shot at a world shot.

Hall, in the silver shorts, was composed from the start and in a very tactical opening round there was little between the two boxers.

But the tempo stepped up a notch in the second, with Hall bouncing back from Perales' powerful right uppercut with a strong right.

And the North-East's reigning Commonwealth champion continued to increase the pressure in the third, when three good right hands from the centre of the ring left him in command.

The American visitor, however, has not made a name for himself across the Atlantic by relying on body shots and a few lefts hit the spot in the fourth as his talent began to show.

Perales, ranked fifth in the world and with his eyes on far bigger prizes, has eight years on Hall but has had six more contests than his elder opponent.

After a relatively even fifth round, Hall started the sixth well when he found his mark with a nice left. Perales, though, was not to be outdone and maintained his strong body punches.

Hall has shown plenty of times before – in Doncaster he went 12 rounds with Jamie McDonnell – he can go the distance and Perales was not finding it as easy as he might have thought.

And Hall won the seventh, landing a couple of blows over the top that earned him the edge although his Texan opponent showed no signs of slipping himself after a comfortable eighth.

After a close ninth, Hall clearly started with an intention to finish strongly when he charged in to Perales, who also slipped later in the round, with a right and left in the tenth.

In the penultimate round Hall looked to have done enough once more, raising his arms in success after landing a couple more upper cuts.

But he needed to finish the fight strongly to make sure. And, even when Perales had him against the ropes, Hall picked off another of his precise right hands and that saw him to the bell and to glory.