Watched by a packed house at the club and many thousands more around the country on Jeff Fenech's Friday Night Fights on Fox Sports, Brunker found another level when it counted most to easily beat the dangerous Gonza- les on all three judges' scorecards.

Garry Dean gave the closest margin of 99-93 for the 10 rounds, while fellow judges Pat O'Connor (100-92) and Alex Fraser (100-90) decided Brunker didn't even so much as lose a single round.

Brunker, 23, has been one of the busiest boxers in the coun- try since turning pro, with Friday night's title bout being his 10th in just 10 months for 10 wins and five knockouts, and proves his decision to leave the amateur ranks after missing the Beijing Olympics after 126 fights and a berth at Athens was perfectly timed.

Brunker and Gonzales went toe to toe in the early rounds, with the Filipino-born Campbelltown-based fighter catching Aussie Joel on several occasions in a fight that looked a lot closer than the scores originally indicated.

Gonzales, 29, showed signs of tiring by round five and Brunker made his move, stalking him around the ring for a couple of rounds and landing plenty of scoring shots to build an advantage he wouldn't relinquish, despite his opponent finding a second wind and con- tinuing to fight strongly to the final bell.

Speaking to The Gazette yes- terday, Brunker said he was delighted to break through for his first title as a pro at his first attempt, but although he was confident he'd won, he still needed reassurance before the ring announcer confirmed it.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet, I'm used to it (winning) and I want to keep on going further and getting better and better," he said.

"It gives me a start now, I'm ranked in the Commonwealth and the world and I can go for titles internationally.