BARROW boxer Liam Conroy admitted he was far from happy with his display after labouring to a points victory over Baptiste Castegnaro.

Conroy was paired with the journeyman from France at short notice after his scheduled British light-heavyweight title eliminator was ditched due to an injury to his opponent Tomi Tatham.

This meant the 24-year-old still got his chance to box at the mighty Manchester Arena on the undercard of the Anthony Crolla versus Jorge Linares world title fight, but it also resulted in him being first on the bill with a 5.05pm start.

Having been gearing up for a head-to-head against former sparring partner Tatham, Conroy and his coach Johnney Roye had to shift their focus onto Castegnaro at short notice. That was hardly ideal preparation for Conroy, and he found the going tough at times against big-hitting brawler Castegnaro.

After being given a standing count at the end of the fourth round, Conroy eventually earned a 59-57 points victory in the six-round bout. But he was disappointed that he allowed himself to become involved in a scrap instead of sticking to his natural game.

“I didn’t really box to the plan,” said Conroy. “In the first round I was just getting the feel of him and then I settled down after that, but he was awkward and he kept trying to rush me.

“In the second round I caught him with a few nice body shots and I wasn’t taking too many shots. “After that I thought I had him in my sights and I was trying to get him in range and knock him out. But I shouldn’t have done that. I got a bit carried away. I should have backed off and used my feet better.

“It was a bit of a scrappy fight and I didn’t really box well, I didn’t use my feet very well and I got caught up in it.”

There was cause for concern at the end of the fourth when Conroy was given a standing count, although the former Barrow ABC junior felt the knockdown was the result of a shove rather than a clean shot.

Explaining what had happened, Conroy said: “I actually caught him with a good shot and as he came at me he barged into me and I went down.

“He never hurt me but I had to take the count. In fairness, he had hurt me with a good shot a bit before that and I had to hold on a bit.

“I did catch him a few times with some good body shots, but overall I’m a bit disappointed with how it went.

“That type of fight is not my game. 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.”

A typically honest Conroy admitted he was unsure whether he had done enough to get the judges’ verdict, saying: “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 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.