BURY boxer Scott Quigg ends 2014 as he began - still the WBA super bantamweight world champion after a unanimous points victory over Japan’s Hidenori Ohtake on Saturday.

Quigg made a successful fifth defence of his crown at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on the undercard of the Nathan Cleverly v Tony Bellew rematch but was made to battle hard by Ohtake before a 119-109, 119-109, 118-110 verdict.

It was only the third time in a 32-fight unbeaten professional career that Quigg has gone the distance but the consensus is that it could be just what the 26-year-old needed after a succession of early stoppages.

Since the draw against Yoandris Salinas 13 months ago, a hat-trick of wins have been secured in less than 10 minutes but Ohtake proved more stubborn than Diego Silva, Tshifhiwa Munyai and Stephane Jamoye.

Going into the fight, Quigg admitted it was something of a journey into the unknown against a 33-year-old opponent who was unbeaten in 14 fights over seven years but had never fought outside his native Tokyo.

But it did not take long for him to realise what Ohtake was all about – stubborn, resilient and prepared to take what Quigg had to offer – and that was plenty.

The Bury star began tentatively but began testing the body of Ohtake after pre-fight rumours he may be struggling with a rib injury.

There were certainly no signs of that as the Japanese withstood good shots to the body from both the left and right hands of Quigg.

It was the start of a 12-round story that followed the same script time and again as Quigg stayed on the front foot.

In the second round, Ohtake was troubled for the first time – rocked by a good right hand over the top but he quickly recovered.

There was not much in the way of punching power from Ohtake but he kept taking the shots and coming back though a landing success rate of just seven per cent – just 55 of 734 punches thrown in the fight – tells its own story.

Quigg’s attack continued as he started to put together some good combinations but remained patient as he tried to wear Ohtake down.

The fifth round saw the overseas boxer enjoy arguably his best round as he landed a good right to Quigg’s body and followed up with a couple of good shots but the champion responded in typical fashion with a big right hander of his own.

Into the seventh round and there was the first signs of blood from a gash on the right side of Ohtake’s face.

While he was standing firm, Ohtake left himself open to shots but rarely ventured forward as Quigg began to box clever and pick his moments to hurt his opponent.

In the tenth round, referee Howard Foster brieflt stopped the fight for doctors to look at a cut around Ohtake’s right eye but he was allowed to continue and then again in the penultimate round, it was assessed just before a good left-hander from Quigg made him wobble again.

But perhaps the right decision was to allow the spirited Japanese fighter to see out the fight after such a valiant effort.

It should not be forgotten that this was as one-sided a 12-rounder as they come with Quigg in complete control.

But credit must go to Ohtake and the fact Quigg has finally been forced to show that supreme fitness he works hard on in the gym is down to his opponent’s battling qualities.

It may not have been as easy as previous defences for Bury’s finest but in the long run it may just have been the workout he needed going into what could be a landmark year for Quigg.