Carl Froch overcame a slow start at the Nottingham International Ice Arena tonight to outpoint Ghana's Charles Adamu and claim the Commonwealth super-middleweight title.

It was not one of Froch's more impressive performances against the tough African champion but he showed tremendous resilience in overcoming Adamu to claim his first major title.

Following an even opening round, where neither man really landed a worthwhile punch, Adamu pressed forward in the second round to force the fight as Froch waited to land the counter. Both connected with big punches in the third but still neither gained the initiative.

Both Froch and Adamu found their range in the fourth as Froch went to the body to try and slow the aggressive oncoming Ghanaian down. The fifth round saw both Froch and Adamu abandon their defences as they traded openly in the centre of the ring. Adamu came off better in the exchanges and looked to have wobbled the Nottingham hero at the end of the fifth round.

Adamu came out in the sixth to force Froch onto the back foot and he looked uncomfortable as the tough Ghanaian edged forward to connect with a variety of shots.

Adamu repeatedly caught Froch with the straight right hand in the seventh as the local man abandoned the jab in favour of trading at close range. Adamu was on his way in the eighth to winning the round clearly again until Froch pulled out a big right hand to floor Adamu, which proved the turning point in the fight.

The ninth round saw Froch go for the finish but Adamu showed tremendous fighting spirit to exchange on equal terms. But Froch edged the round to gain the advantage for the first time in the fight. Froch edged ahead again the 10th when he outworked the tiring Ghanaian. Both Froch and Adamu exchanged heavy shots in the 11th but it was Froch that looked the stronger of the two.

Referee Marcus McDonnell scored the contest 116-113 in favour of Froch as did SecondsOut.

In the main support to the Froch vs Adamu fight, former two time WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide's April 23 date with bitter rival Danny Williams looks dead in the water, for the time being at least, when Lithuanian journeyman Mendauga Kulikauskas stopped him on a cut in the third round.

The contest was far from entertaining, with neither man really stamping their authority on the fight but midway through the third round an accidental clash of heads instantly opened a 1 ? inch long cut along the top of Hide's left eye. Hide was allowed to see out the round but during the interval the ringside doctor inspected the cut and advised referee Shaun Messers to call a halt to the contest.

A dejected and emotional Hide, talking about the aforementioned Danny Williams clash told the BBC : " I really wanted that Danny Williams fight. I don't want to be fighting these bums all the time. Thi9s is what happens. I wanted to be beating up on Williams. He's just a pussycat. Everything seems to be against me now and I don't know if I want to carry on anymore."

Vacant WBF super-middleweight title: Damon Hague w pts 12 Roddy Doran Derby ticket seller Damon Hague avenged an earlier points loss to Shrewbury's Roddy Doran by winning clearly on points on all three judges cards, 118-111, 117-112 and 119-110.

Middleweight: Matthew Thirlwall w rsf 2 Patrick Sito Bermondsey prospect Matthew Thirlwall made short work of Birmingham based African Patrick Sito, flooring Sito with a perfectly timed left hook. Sito was up at the count of seven but referee John Keane waved the fight off.

Light-middleweight: David Walker w rsf 3 Matt Scriven Walker returned with a win following his unsuccessful European title bid against Roman Karmazin last October. Referee John Keane stepped in on the bell to end the third round to save a protesting Matt Scriven from further punishment.

Catchweight: Coleman Barrett w pts 6 Dave Clarke Wembley based Irishman Coleman Barrett scored a hard fought 59-55 points win over Blackpool journeyman Dave Clarke.

Super-featherweight: John Murray w rsf 1 John Paul Ryan Manchester 18 year-old John Murray floored Northampton's John Paul Ryan after 2.05 of the opening round. Ryan was up at the count of seven but the referee Sean Messer waved the fight off.

Middleweight: Ryan Rhodes w pts 8 Scott Dixon Former world title challenger Ryan Rhodes scored a hard fought eight round points (78-74) win over Former Commonwealth champion Scott Dixon. There were no knockdowns.