PRESTONPANS' Josh Taylor stopped Dave Ryan in the fifth round at the Meadowbank Arena tonight (Friday) to be crowned the Commonwealth super lightweight champion.

The Prestonpans ace told Courier Sport: "It's the best win of my career - I'm absolutely on cloud nine.

"I knew I could do it but I felt a bit of pressure because Barry [McGuigan] has hyped me up a lot.

"I'm absolutely delighted, it's amazing."

Until tonight, Taylor had not fought beyond the second round in his six previous professional fights, he did not waste much more time stopping Ryan, who Barry McGuigan said was "a very tough opponent."

McGuigan also hailed Taylor's performance in the post-fight press conference. 

The Northern Irishman said: "He didn't catch him cleanly with one punch tonight. 

"He's just such a talented kid and we see it every day in the gym."

Ryan first went down in round three, with the referee giving an eight count, before he was knocked down again in round five.

The 34-year-old had only been stopped once in 26 previous bouts but the bout was stopped with just 15 seconds left of the fifth round, sending the crowd into wild celebrations.

The crowd had been vocal all evening, but the atmosphere was turned up a notch ahead of the bout, with more than 1,500 people on their feet singing Flower of Scotland, complete with a piper in the ring.

Taylor hailed the support, with many travelling from the county to cheer him on. 

He added: "It was absolutely brilliant tonight. I could hear the piper in my dressing room and that got me going a bit - I had to really stay calm.

"When I came out I wanted to soak it up and really enjoy it. Normally I try to blank it all out but it was amazing.

"It's incredible to have so many of my family and friends here as well - a lot of them have never seen me fight before, so it was amazing they got the chance, and I've won my first pro title too."

Cheered on by stablemate Carl Frampton at ringside, Taylor was able to land some telling blows in the early stages.

The referee was called into action early to give an eight count to Ryan, who was knocked to the canvas.

It was a more even fourth round but Taylor again caught his opponent with a body shot.

Ryan was again down in round five after another powerful shot but had enough to pick himself up for a second time. 

The Englishman tried valiantly to stem the tide but Taylor was relentless, forcing the referee to step in and stop the bout to the delight of the fans.

A jubilant Taylor said: "I'll not be letting the belt out of my sight any time soon.

"I'll have it round my waist or on my shoulder for days - in fact, I might even take it to bed with me."