BURTON boxer Tom Shaw continued a punch-perfect start to his professional boxing career after posting a shut-out points win over Kristian Laight in Wales.
The 20 year-old from Burton has a 100 percent record after his victorious lightwelterweight clash in Queensferry on Friday night.
The referee scored the four-round fight 40-36, meaning Shaw has won every round he has boxed as a professional.
Laight, from Nuneaton, has boxed Britain’s best throughout a career spanning more than 100 fights and is a spoiler capable of causing an upset.
But Shaw, who boxed for England as an amateur, dealt with him well to book his place on a show promoted by ring legend Ricky Hatton.
He will box in Bury on Saturday, July 23 when red-hot super-bantamweight prospect Scott Quigg tops the bill, and manager Errol Johnson is convinced Shaw has a future at championship level.
Johnson said: “Tom still has a lot to learn. He switched off a bit too often on Friday night, but when he put his punches together, he showed how special he can be.
“Laight is in there to frustrate, spoil and nick the fight on points if he can. Tom stayed in charge and didn’t let him mess him about. I was pleased with him, but there’s still room for improvement.”
Johnson and Shaw have been working on the boxer’s body punches at the Wednesbury gym where they train together – and they were the blows that had Laight hurt and covering up.
He was able to smother and spoil his way through the crises until the final bell.
Duane Parker, the unbeaten light-middleweight from Woodville, is being steered towards a title fight in Burton.
He aims to make it 14th straight win at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham on Monday, June 13 and promoters First Team plan to feature him boxing for a belt in September.
Manager Johnson hopes to announce a date for a show at the Meadowside Leisure Centre in the coming weeks and Jonjo Finnegan — the British Masters supermiddleweight champion from Newhall — and Shaw should also box on the bill.
Finnegan faces a rematch with Elvis Dube on the Birmingham show next month and tickets are available from 0752-8449114.
