John Ryder stuns two-time world champion Daniel Jacobs

Ryder (right) has now won 31 fights, with five defeats, since turning professional in 2010

Briton John Ryder stunned two-time world champion Daniel Jacobs to win by split-decision in a world super-middleweight title eliminator.

American Jacobs, 35, dominated the opening six rounds before a spirited comeback from Ryder in the second half of the fight.

Two judges scored the fight 115-113 to Ryder, with the other scoring it 115-113 to Jacobs.

"I needed a big night like this in my career," Ryder, 33, told 5 Live Boxing.

"That was a mentally gruelling fight and gruelling camp. I wouldn't have liked to have fought him five years ago. He's an old-school fighter and knows all the tricks of the trade," added Ryder.

The fight, at Alexandra Palace in London, was an eliminator for Mexican undisputed champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's WBA belt, and promoter Eddie Hearn says Ryder will "hopefully now get his shot" at a world title.

"It's hard not to get behind John Ryder," Hearn added. "He's done it the hard way and the journey rolls on."

A tale of two halves

Jacobs (left) was fighting in the UK for the first time as a professional

Earlier in the week, Ryder described the bout as a "last-chance saloon" with a loss potentially bringing a 12-year professional career to an end.

But a win against a marquee name and elite-level fighter, albeit one perhaps past his prime, takes the Islington fighter back to world-title contention; Ryder challenged for the WBA title in 2019 when he controversially lost to Liverpool's Callum Smith on points in a fight which many had him winning.

Jacobs controlled the pace of the fight early on, was the busier boxer and found his range to continuously pierce southpaw Ryder's guard.

As the fight progressed, Jacobs affirmed his authority and used his experience and ring craft to smother and negate his opponent's work.

By the halfway stage, the Brooklyn boxer - fighting in the United Kingdom for the first time as a professional - looked to be heading to a comfortable points win.

But Ryder came back fighting in an astonishing turnaround and troubled Jacobs with a flurry of punches in the seventh round.

The home fighter, buoyed by the crowd, connected with more accurate punches in the final seconds of the eighth round, resulting in a fatigued Jacobs staggering back to his corner.

Ryder and Jacobs both enjoyed successes in the championship rounds and raised their arms at the final bell, feeling they had done enough for the victory.

Jacobs - dubbed 'The Miracle Man' after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and told he would never box again - suffers a fourth career defeat in 41 fights, a loss which may now spell the end of a tremendous career.

Cash survives scare as British fighters shine on undercard

Felix Cash (right) survived two knockdown but extends his unbeaten record to 15 wins

On the undercard, Felix Cash beat Russia's Magomed Madiev on points, but was floored twice in a thrilling middleweight clash.

Returning after a 10-month lay-off, the Berkshire fighter showed signs of ring rust when he was knocked down by a left hook in the second round and then by a straight right in the final 10th round.

Cash was also docked a point in for excessive holding late on, but his dominance between knockdowns was enough to earn him a unanimous decision.

In the chief support, popular Essex heavyweight Johnny Fisher made it five straight wins but was taken the distance for the first time as a professional by Spain's Gabriel Enguema.

'The Romford Bull' - who sold almost 3,000 tickets to the event alone - could not find a conclusive punch in the six-round bout but used his jab and movement well against a durable opponent.

Earlier in the night, undefeated Ellie Scotney continued her charge towards a super-bantamweight world title in 2022 with a hard-fought points victory over Argentine Jorgelina Guanini.

There were also wins for British prospects Shiloh Defreitas - trained by his father and star of TV show Gogglebox Marcus Luther - and super-bantamweight Hopey Price.