IT was third time lucky for Bradley Pryce at the Newport Centre on Saturday when he put the disappointment of defeats in two British welterweight title fights behind him to lift the Commonwealth light-middleweight crown. The Blackwood boxer, 26 on Wednesday, carried out his pre-fight promise to follow world super-middleweight champion and stablemate Joe Calzaghe's example to throw flurries of punches and keep out of a bust-up to pound out a unanimous points win over defending champion Ossie Duran, of Ghana.

I had Pryce a 115-112 points-winner, English judges Micky Vann and Dave Parris scoring it 115-114 and 116-113 respectively. But Ghanaian judge Eddie Pappo had Pryce a much more clear cut 118-112 winner to prove how he dominated a strangely lethargic Duran, who had a good left jab but little else to offer once Pryce learned to avoid his big right after a few rounds.

"I'm speechless. It feels great to be a champion. I'm on my way at last and there's a lot more to come," said Pryce afterwards.

"A lot of people had doubted me (after some surprise defeats) and I'd like to thank my trainer, Enzo Calzaghe, and promoter Frank Warren for sticking with me.

"It's hard to believe I stuck to boxing for most of the fight but I also worked well inside. He couldn't match my pace and I thought I boxed the perfect fight.

"He caught me with a massive shot in the first and my legs wobbled a bit and that was a wake-up call, but I recovered quickly and he did not follow up with enough punches to trouble me.

"I never at any stage thought I had the fight won and I had to hear the verdict before I believed it.

"I've had a lot of personal problems in my career, even over the past week, but I felt spot on.

"Joe won last week, Gavin Rees won, I knew Gary Lockett would win and all the boys in the Newbridge gym are unbeaten except for me, so I was determined not to mess up."

Trainer Enzo Calzaghe said: "I told Bradley to box with his brain, not with his heart, and that's what he did. He's always had the talent."

Pryce, stepping up a weight to face an extremely strong opponent, started the underdog and was rocked by a big right in the first.

But he kept coming forward to pressurise Duran with flurries of body punches, got his crisp jab working and sometimes confused Duran by switching to southpaw.

Despite requiring a lot of grease on a swelling over his left eye before the fourth, Pryce had his best round with a big right over the top early on before rocking Duran with a left hook to the head.

After a couple of quiet rounds, Pryce took control in round seven as Duran tired visibly and he maintained his crisp work until the end, constantly catching Duran, often with powerful body shots, and taking little in return.

"I've got options now at welterweight or light-middleweight, I'm a welterweight really," said Pryce, Wales' first Commonwealth champion since Nicky Piper at light-heavyweight in 1997.

"But I'd love to fight on the Joe Calzaghe bill in Cardiff in July if that's confirmed."