Ryan Rhodes Stuns Jamie Moore in the War of the Roses

Do you ever get the feeling that you are watching something special, something that you know you may never see again?

Jamie Moore and Ryan Rhodes served up a classic on Friday night in Bolton, and everyone who was there can walk away knowing that they may not see such a war again.

Salford's Jamie Moore went into the "War of the Roses" as the favourite, knowing that a win would take him to the brink of a world title shot. This is now a distant dream as Moore was taken apart inside seven brutal rounds by Rhodes, who is more "Old Spice" than "Spice Boy" but proved a worthy winner.

After the fight Moore was quick to quash any speculation of weight-making difficulties, citing the fact he did not want to take anything away from Rhodes' performance. Indeed, Rhodes did exactly what he needed to do, keeping pace with Moore in the early rounds and soaking up pressure before taking control from the fifth round onwards.

It was obvious to everyone who had been at the weigh-in the day before that Moore was crippled by the weight he had to drop in the buildup. Rather than looking tired, he looked drained, and there is a big difference between the two.

Quite why he campaigned at light middleweight for so long is something he puts down to not being able to let go of the dream, but this decision has perhaps spoilt his chances of ever seriously challenging at the highest level.

Following his defeat at the hands of Moore, Matthew Macklin moved up to middleweight and is now European Champion, but he had age on his side.

I am not saying that this is the end for Jamie Moore. At the end of the day he was beaten by a world-class fighter in Ryan Rhodes. But he has another long road ahead of him if he really wants to do anything else in a career that has already produced some memorable highlights.

For Rhodes, he is now in the box seat in terms of a world title shot. He deserves to be ranked amongst the best, but I still have a feeling he will fall short at the very top level.