Callum Simpson stopped Steed Woodall to defend his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles on an emotional night in Sheffield.
Simpson was boxing for the first time since the death of his sister, who died tragically young at 19.
Lily-Rae Simpson's name was written on his shorts and robe when he arrived to enter the Canon Medical Arena.
Thousands of his supporters gathered to push Barnsley into the ring with deafening cheers that reached an even louder crescendo when Simpson forced the finish.
At the first bell, Woodall was unfazed by the boos that greeted him and tagged Simpson with crooked right jabs in the first round, the kind of hard hitting that showed just how dangerous he can be.
Woodall wanted to fight
The challenger from Birmingham found accurate shots early in the first round.
But when Simpson put together the combination, it drew a big cheer.
He fired a right through and nailed a stiff straight left after it. He drove left hooks into Woodall's body, viciously cornering them.
Driving Woodall to the ropes, he rattled his head with a flurry of shots. Simpson hit him again with his center and put more pressure on Woodall in the second round.
He trapped Woodall on the ropes and a vicious combination saw him slam the challenger to the canvas. He mixed right uppercuts into a flurry of punches and a finishing left hook and right hook put the Birmingham man over.
Simpson continued to attack Woodall, although the challenger looked valiant to fight back. He wanted to continue, but the referee intervened and stopped at 1:56 of the second round.
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Callum Simpson has opened up about the tragic loss of his 19-year-old sister, who died on holiday just weeks after winning his last fight at Oakwell
His sister was immediately on his mind when his win was announced.
“I feel bitter,” he said Sky Sports. “I've won these titles in front of all my fans, but there's one person that everyone knows I wish was here, but I know he looks down on me and I know I'm making him proud.
“I brought my other siblings, mom, dad and stepmom into the ring just to show that she's not here, but she's here in spirit. I have more to be thankful for.”
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Simpson dedicated his victory to his sister who tragically passed away at the age of 19
Was it stopped too early?
Simpson himself did not consider the termination premature. “If he didn't stop him then, we'll stop him half a second later,” said the champion.
“For me, it needed to be stopped. At least Steed is well and healthy.
“I knocked him down. He was still on shaky feet. Anyone who knows me knows that I would fall again.
“The referee did his job and protected him. Obviously Steed is going to fight, but it's a legal stoppage.
“It only went one way.”
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The referee controversially jumped into the second round, awarding Callum Simpson a TKO over Steed Woodall
Sky Sports' expert Matthew Macklin considered it premature, however. “He wasn't on his feet,” Maclin said.
“Even if she wanted to stop him, it wasn't the right time to stop it.
“I think Callum Simpson should have gone on and won the fight, probably by stoppage, but it shouldn't have been stopped when it was.”
The result, of course, stands and now Simpson will want another stadium fight.
“What's next? I've just had a quick chat with (Barnsley chief executive) John Flatman and he's been given permission to mess up the pitch in the summer,” he said.
“Oakwell, we're coming for you again!”