LIAM Conroy hopes he can learn from his close-call against Baptiste Castegnaro.

The Barrow boxer got up off the canvas to claim a points win over the Frenchman at the Manchester Arena on Saturday.

Fighting in the opening bout on the Anthony Crolla-Jorge Linares world lightweight title fight card, Conroy had to show all his grit and determination to overcome a fourth-round knockdown and claim a 59-57 points win in the six-round bout.

“That type of fight is not my game,” said Conroy, who was given little notice of his opponent after his original British light-heavyweight title eliminator was ditched due to an injury to his opponent Tomi Tatham. “But I’ve had these type of fights in the past and come through them and it’s another one where I can learn from the experience.”

The 24-year-old admitted he was unsure whether he had done enough to get the judges’ verdict on Saturday.

He looked surprised when his hand was raised, but feels he is making steady progress in his professional career, and said afterwards: “I wasn’t sure I was going to get the win. I was a little bit surprised.

“I don't feel like I boxed well but sometimes you get the decisions and sometimes you don't.

“I’ve come a long way since Prizefighter (when Conroy was knocked out by Cello Renda in front of live Sky TV cameras in Blackpool).

“That was 20 months ago and I’m unbeaten since then.

“It’s a good experience for me to fight at a big venue like this. People said at Prizefighter I was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights but tonight I was totally relaxed.”

Conroy’s trainer Johnney Roye said the disruption to Conroy’s training schedule caused by the change of opponent was a contributory factor to his performance.

“I don't care who you are, even if you're Floyd Mayweather, if you have a change of opponent from a proper serious challenger to a journeyman it's hard to adjust,” said Roye.

“You have prepared mentally for one type of opponent and then you have to change. We didn't find out until last week who Liam was fighting and it's difficult. If we had had more time to prepare it would have been different.”

Roye said the next time Conroy enters the ring – at Preston’s Evoque club on November 19 – it will be for a divisional belt, while the prospect of a British title eliminator remains very much on their radar.