Sluggish Campbell sees off tricky Colombian Perez

Campbell set up a position as mandatory challenger to Jorge Linares' WBC crown despite a lacklustre performance.

The opening exchanges were cagey, with neither wanting to over-commit as the southpaw lightweight struggled to put any telling combinations together on the Colombian.

The second round produced very little in the way of entertainment as both looked to work one another out.

Perez landed the third round as Campbell leaned in too much, telegraphing much of his work and was picked off.

The Hull man improved in the fourth round, adding more angles and variety to his raids on Perez, landing a solid overhand counter left to the Colombian's temple that appeared to rock him.

The Colombian appeared more at ease in the fifth as he repelled Campbell's rare forays forward with relative ease, looking to land counter shots of his own and make the Hull man pay.

Campbell couldn't deter the Colombian as he continued to throw single shots, the cagey nature of the fight continuing into the seventh.

Perez then appeared to start struggling with an arm injury and despite battling on through the eighth round, he pulled out of the fight in the ninth, walking back to his corner as referee Steve Gray called the contest off.

One thing is for certain, Campbell will need to improve if he is to test the slick Linares, who twice beat Anthony Crolla over the past year.