ROSS Cooksey was overjoyed to get his professional career of to the perfect start after scoring a first-round knockout against Stefan Sashov in Manchester.

The former Barrow Amateur Boxing Club man had been forced to wait for his bow in the paid ranks after his contest against Michael Barnor last month was called off due to the Ghanaian's work permit being delayed.

But the 24-year-old wasted little time when he eventually got into the ring at the Victoria Warehouse, sending Sashov crashing to the canvas with a left hook to the body which ended the bout after two minutes.

“That's the perfect start, isn't it? I couldn't ask for any better,” said Cooksey. “I've watched many of these European fighters come over and box on these small-hall, professional shows, and sometimes they come and just fall over for people, and you think 'that wasn't great to watch'.

“But with me, he landed a couple of shots early on and I thought straight away 'he's not coming to lie down here, he's definitely coming to give it a go'.

“Then when I landed the body shot, I though to myself after the count of five 'he's not going to get up here'. He did make it to his feet at about nine, but he wasn't in any position to continue.”