Stuart Hall doesn’t know when to give in

Having punched himself to a standstill as he beat Vusi Malinga to claim the IBF title last December, Hall produced another display bursting with guts and stamina as he pushed Randy Caballero all the way.

A second-round knockdown might have fazed other fighters, but Hall picked himself up and quickly regained his composure as he set about battling toe-to-toe with his opponent.

Hall’s close-range style means he is always going to be susceptible to taking punches, but he continued to press from the front foot and was still looking for work in the closing stages. Few other British fighters possess his spirit or heart.

Randy Caballero is the real deal

Prior to Saturday’s fight, questions were being asked of 24-year-old Caballero’s calibre despite his record of 21 wins from 21 contests. Had too many of those victories been against limited opponents?

No one is challenging Caballero’s right to be a world champion now, with the American having combined speed, dexterity and technical excellence to better Hall for the majority of the contest.

Crucially, Caballero also proved that he is able to take a punch, and with the bantamweight division not especially strong at world level, there is every chance of him dominating and adding more belts over the next couple of years.

Boxing judging remains as unpredictable as ever

Few people are questioning Caballero’s superiority on Saturday night, but the vast majority of neutral observers had the American two or three points ahead at best.

So how on earth did British judge Stuart Gray come up with a 118-110 verdict that was an insult to Hall’s efforts, particularly in the middle section of the fight when he was in the ascendancy?

Far too many major boxing bouts are ruined by poor scoring, and the sight of so many largely elderly judges tottering to ringside hardly inspires confidence. The scoring needs to be more transparent, with the WBC leading the way by demanding that scores are revealed after the fourth and eighth rounds.

The British national anthem has three verses

We’re all accustomed to hearing “God save the Queen” at major sporting events, although few renditions have been as cringe worthy as Saturday night’s, with a female opera singer reaching octaves few knew existed.

It wasn’t just the pitch of the singing that was unexpected though, it was the fact that all three verses of the anthem got an airing when the rendition usually stops after the first.

Who knew that verse two talked of “confounding their politics” and “frustrating their knavish tricks”? Let’s hope the longer version doesn’t catch on.

Monte Carlo is a rising force in staging world-class boxing

Hall’s previous world-title fights had been staged in either Leeds’ First Direct Arena or the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, so Monte Carlo’s glittering Salle des Etoiles certainly felt different.

Behind the ring, huge glass windows opened out on to the harbour, where multimillion-pound yachts were moored. Glasses of champagne, priced at €20, were going down well, with ringside seats sold out despite costing €750 a ticket.

The clientele was also a bit different, with Eddie Jordan taking up a ringside seat just 24 hours after Prince Albert had been in attendance at the weigh in. Perhaps William or Harry will be in the MetroCentre to see Hall weigh in if he fights in Newcastle again in the future?