Mike McGoldrick is hoping his victory over Jevgenijs Andrejevs last Friday night has moved him closer towards being considered for a title fight.
The light heavyweight from Barrow stepped in the ring at the University of Bolton Stadium for what was his first professional bout over six rounds, but unlike his previous four contests, this one didn't go the distance.
It wasn't much of a contest, in truth, as McGoldrick controlled the fight throughout against a Latvian opponent who offered precious little in return and was almost constantly pressed back towards the ropes as a result.
Despite Andrejevs' defensive mind-set, 'Goldie' was still able to land some heavy blows, with a left hook to the side of the head prompting the referee to stop the fight halfway through the fifth round and give the 34-year-old his first professional win via TKO.
McGoldrick said: "I was in control throughout the fight - he was a journeyman, so he was generally very negative, so hopefully after getting the stoppage, I'll be able to get a title fight sanctioned and be able to move up in levels next time.
"I said previously that I was a bit in two minds because I wanted to get six rounds under my belt, but at the same time I'd gone through four fights on points, so I wanted to get the stoppage.
"I kind of got the best of both worlds, really, because I stopped him towards the end of the fifth round.
"I went further than I'd gone before and I still got the stoppage, so I was very happy in that respect. He was also the first southpaw I'd faced and I was top of the bill, so it was all good experiences to have early on in my career."
On when he knew his opponent had nothing left, McGoldrick added: "In the fifth round I heard to ref say to him 'you've going to have to show me something' and at that point he was done so I started to put it on him."
Not for the first time, McGoldrick was cheered on by a significant and vociferous band of supporters who had travelled down from Barrow to Bolton, some of them even taking a taxi to do so.
After extending his perfect professional record to five wins from five fights, and boosting his confidence with his first stoppage, he is hoping to fit in another fight before the end of the year, as he knows that at his age, there is no time to lose.
McGoldrick said: "We've provisionally got a date in December for the next fight - MTK have a contract with Bolton to have so many fight nights this year, so I think that's going to be in Bolton as well around Christmas time.
"Hopefully, I can get that dusted off, win something and have a good Christmas."
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