A broken hand will once again put on hold a career that has been more stop than start in the last year.
In the second it looked as if Doherty might force a stoppage, with Reid?s legs completely gone.
Saved by the bell, the Mancunian staggered back to his corner, but had shown his heart by landing two punches flush in Doherty?s chin in the midst of his mini-crisis.
And from there, Reid came storming back, forcing Doherty ? hampered by his break - on to the back foot.
The cleaner work was coming from the house fighter, but Reid was putting Doherty under considerable pressure, and in the end lost by only a point, 58-57.
Doherty extended his record to 19-0 (1NC) with the win, and will now be looking for a title fight in 2007.
what a surprise