AN ECSTATIC Stuart Hall paid tribute to “everyone who believed in him” after a breathtaking display which made the County Durham boxer a world champion.

The 33-year-old showed all of the the heart and character which earned him a shot at the big time to claim a unanimous points victory over South African Vusi Malinga at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.

Hall, a former roofer who only turned pro five-and-a-half years ago after a five years stint in Ibiza, saw out the final few rounds with his left eye shut and covered in blood.

But the Darlington bantamweight's ringcraft and power, which actually put African champion Malinga to the canvas in the third, saw him win most of the rounds to earn him the tag of IBF champion of the world.

A beaming Hall said: “I feel absolutely unbelievable. There's lots of people I have to thank. They have given me a chance. I know there were a lot of people saying Stuart Hall can't do this... Yes I can and I did.”

After putting Malinga to the canvas, Hall then had to cope with his opponent's powers of recovery to make a thrilling night of boxing in Yorkshire.

But Hall, jumping in to the arms of his trainer Michael Marsden after the final bell, said: “I didn't panic. I knocked him down. He got up. He came back at me.

“It is so much tougher at this level. I carried on fighting and nothing was going to stop me. I couldn't see anything out of my eye for the last few rounds.

“That wasn't going to stop me. The support was brilliant, it definitely made a difference to hear them all the way through. It feels amazing.”