Local boxer Tommy Welch was pleased to get the win on his professional debut on Friday.

The 25-year-old from Brighton won by technical knockout (TKO) against Matt Gordon in a four-round bout live on Channel 5.

However, reflecting on the fight, Welch had one criticism of his performance.

He said: “I haven’t trained as hard as I did to expect anything but a win, so it was fantastic to be in there and get the job done.

“But if I was being extra critical, I wish it was a cleaner fight.

“There was a tremendous amount of pressure going in to the fight with a clean slate and a lot of people expecting you to do big things.

“With that weight on your shoulders and on a big stage, it is difficult, as I haven’t been in a ring for 18 months.

“Don’t get me wrong I was pleased with the win; I just wish it was a cleaner fight.

"There is a lot to improve on when I next fight and I look forward to doing that.”

Welch managed to win the fight right at the end of the second round, but he admits that he did not get to showcase his full range of shots.

He said: “The first round I came out and it was more about finding my feet.

“Without the crowd, the buzz wasn’t there, so you have to find your own buzz.

“It is different from sparring to being under the lights.

"As when you are sparring, there is more of a gym feel.

“Whereas, on a fight night, this guy is coming to take your head off.

“Without the crowd to get you up, you have to find that buzz yourself.

“It took a round to find my feet, but I started to become more comfortable and I was letting the shots go.

“I was breaking him down bit by bit and I was hoping in the next round that I was going to cleanly knock him out him.

“That never happened as I finished the fight in the second round, so it was even better.

“But the downside is that I didn’t manage to showcase the clean shots that I wanted to.”