RYAN Watson cannot wait to get back in the ring after a triumphant start to his professional boxing career.

Watson earned a unanimous points decision in a six-round welterweight bout against the experienced Jason Nesbitt at Bolton’s Macron Stadium recently.

The 29-year-old Ulverston fighter is back in action again next month, when he will take on Giuseppe Daprato in a super-lightweight contest at Manchester’s Middleton Arena.

The debut victory was a great start to his pro career for Watson, who has developed under the guidance of former English lightweight title contender Kieran Farrell after originally learning his craft at Barrow Amateur Boxing Club.

The fight against Nesbitt comprised six two-minute rounds and Watson dominated from start to finish, helped by strong support from the Furness area.

“I think I won every round apart from last one, so it went really well,” said Watson, who runs his own tree surgery business in Ulverston.

“In the last round I knew I had won the fight, so I just eased back and was keeping safe and making sure that I didn’t get caught with anything.

“I’m really happy. It was a really good night. There were about 100 people who came to support me. It was amazing. The atmosphere was unbelievable. My supporters were the loudest there.

“It helps a lot having that kind of support, People cheering you on.”

Watson went into the fight believing it was a four-round fight, only to be told by Farrell after the fourth round had finished that he had two more to get through. He explained: “I only realised I was doing six rounds in the fourth round. I thought I had won the fight. I thought ‘I’ve won every round here’, but then my coach said ‘you’ve got two more to do yet’.

“I went for a bit in the fourth thinking it was the last round, but thankfully I still had a bit left.

“He was quite a dangerous opponent. He’s had about 210 fights and he’s knocked a few people out.

“So he was a dangerous opponent for my first fight. He’s fought the top pros, British champions, world champions, so it was a hard fight.

“Kieron was really, really pleased with the result and how I boxed. We had a game plan and I just kept using the jab and in-and-out boxing and kept away from the big shot that he throws every now and then.”

At 29, Watson is a relative latecomer to the pro ranks, but he believes he is in the best shape of his life and his maturity can stand him in good stead as he plans to ‘stay busy’ in the ring.

“Nowadays people do turn pro when they are a bit older,” he said. “Sometimes it is better to turn pro when you are a bit older rather than when you are young and you are not fully developed.

“I’m in my prime now. The plan is to get a lot of fights in. I want to keep busy and then hopefully go for some sort of title.”

“I’ll be fighting every other month,” added Watson, who will be joined on the bill in Middleton on June 24 by another Farrell stable fighter and Barrow ABC product in Callum Pearson, who is set to make his pro debut.

Watson travels down to Farrell’s Heywood-based gym four or five times a week in what is a hectic schedule and he is thankful to the support he receives from his sponsors, Ulverston Meat Company, Cumbria Hot Tub Hire and Moorland Service Station.

“I just want to thank my sponsors, because without them it would be harder to do what I’m doing,” he said.

l Barrow ABC’s Steve Eilbeck was unlucky to miss out on winning an English Northern Region amateur at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.

Eilbeck was due to fight for the 60kg category title, but when his scheduled opponent pulled out he was moved up to the 60-64kg category and lost on points to M Hedges, of Knowsley Vale.

Showing the standard of opponent Eilbeck has been up against, Danny Wright, of Centurions, the boxer who beat Eilbeck in the Boxing Elite National Championships semi-finals, was awarded the Best Boxer of the Championship after beating Mason Smith (Finchley and District) in the final.