Luke Watkins climbs off canvas to score KO win in Swindon

Swindon cruiserweight Luke Watkins had to battle through adversity tonight to claim his eight professional win.

The big man of Wexford descent took on Latvian upsetter Reinis Porozovs in a short-notice six-round bout, and tasted the canvas for the first time before bouncing back to claim a stoppage victory.

Fighting in front of his home fans at the Grange Leisure Centre, ‘The Duke’ was felled by the dangerous Porozov in the second round after a cagey opening stanza. Watkins was up quickly and survived a barrage of punches from the Baltic boxer before flooring him in return.

The third and fourth rounds were close affairs with Watkins seeking to assert his authority before a huge shot put his man down in the penultimate round. Porozov managed to beat the count, but the referee correctly waved off the bout.

Watkins stretches his unbeaten record to 8(5)-0 with the win, while the hugely game Porozov drops to 5(3)-7(3)-1.