Lichfield’s Brad Foster said he didn’t feel he was at his best despite winning the Lonsdale belt as professional boxing returned.
The behind closed doors bout, screened live on BT Sport, saw him take a unanimous points decision to see off the challenge of James Beech Jnr.
But Foster said he was disappointed with how he started the fight.
The 22-year-old said:
““I didn’t feel I was at my best. I didn’t feel I really woke up and found my distance until the seventh round.
“But the Lonsdale belt was one of my goals coming into boxing and now I’ve got it.
“Now I want to go out for a boogie – I’ve just been working and training, so I’ve missed going out for a boogie with my mates.”
Brad Foster
Foster’s preparations for the fight were hampered ahead of the bout.
Manager PJ Rowson said:
“We were told Brad would be boxing at 10.45pm – he arrived at 9pm and after completing all the paperwork and testing he had just 20 minutes to get his hands wrapped and warm up.
“So to go out and do what he did was remarkable.
“If he had time to warm up properly, we would have seen him box that way from round one instead of round seven.
“For me, Brad boxed well within himself – and he still won unanimously.
“I thought he was in control throughout and could turn it up a notch or two at any point.
“To win the Lonsdale belt outright is a fantastic achievement. Brad is rewriting the record books.”
PJ Rowson
The victory over Beech Jnr made the 22-year-old the youngest winner of a Lonsdale belt outright for 18 years.