Callum Walsh maintained his unbeaten record and top contender status with a unanimous decision victory over Tyler Denny.

Denny, a former European champion, is a tough veteran and proved a test for the Irish middleweight at Dublin’s 3Arena.

Walsh prevailed on points, winning 98-91 twice and 96-90.

The bout didn’t progress without its pitfalls as Denny gave him hard rounds.

The first round suddenly went south for Walsh. Awkwardly positioned in front of Denny, he found himself bending low. Denny attacked and Walsh took a shot before slipping to a knee. The referee ruled that a knockdown.

Walsh found the perfect riposte in the second round. As Denny came after him, Walsh launched a lovely arching left cross to the point of the Englishman’s chin, dropping him heavily to the canvas.

Denny, brave as ever, rose and fought on. But Walsh popped up from beneath an attack to land a fine right hook and he finished the round slugging Denny into the ropes.

The Briton shook off the effects of that round and advanced. By the end of the fourth round, Walsh was backing up, letting his southpaw opponent come on but picking out accurate punches to catch Denny.

Walsh maintained his control, moving, hitting and letting Denny work to try to pin him down.

The Briton kept scrapping forward and managed to land solidly in the sixth round.

Denny trudged on swinging wildly, but Walsh manoeuvred well. The Irishman caught Denny to the head with a left-right combination. Denny felt those shots but remained doggedly determined. He cleaved away with uppercuts in close.

The referee took a point off Walsh for holding, before evening up it by taking a point off Denny for hitting behind the head.

Walsh exploded forward with a savage sequence of punches to the head, leaving Denny stranded, standing still on the end of them.

But Walsh emerged from a clash with a cut over his left eye. It bled badly at once. Denny was leaning into him in scrappy collisions and Walsh looked frustrated after picking an additional nick on his cheek.

In the 10th round Walsh landed a great lead right uppercut. Denny got after him with hooks, catching the Irishman with his southpaw left and right.

Another hard left from Walsh though snagged Denny. He couldn’t put the Englishman down a second time but made sure he finished the fight in the ascendancy.

‘I think he broke my orbital bone’

Walsh told Sky Sports: “It was a lot harder than I thought. In the second round we clashed heads. I think he broke my orbital bone. It was crunching the whole time.

“It was very tough. I’m very critical of myself. I should have been a lot better. I wish I could have been better.

“He’s tough, awkward and tricky, but we’ll go again.”

Watch Aaron McKenna and Etinosa Oliha fight for the IBF world middleweight title in Dublin on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream boxing with no contract.