By Brett McCarten

BOXER Tomi ‘TNT’ Tatham recorded his third straight professional victory to remain undefeated.

The Bentham bruiser fought Mitch Mitchell at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton in only his third competitive light-heavyweight bout, but Tatham’s opponent was no match for his powerful jab.

“He was confident,” said the 23-year old light heavyweight, “but we had a game plan.”

“I was told by my trainer to work the body like I did in my training camps to open up any weaknesses in his armour, before landing some solid head shots.”

Tatham’s confidence carried him into the next round where the real damage occurred. After multiple heavy body shots in the second round, Mitchell hit the canvas.

“I was relaxed, but after landing some body shots he was down. He made the count though, which I didn’t think he would. My trainer asked me if he felt I could go for it (the knockout) - I was confident that I could.”

As soon as Mitchell was back to his feet, Tatham capitalised on his opponent’s weakness with punches to the head. When Mitchell went to cover his body, Tatham fired in some body shots and the 23-year old’s strength was too much for the opponent as he retired in the second round after suffering broken ribs at the hands of the relentless Yorkshire boxer.

“It was good to use what I’d learned in the training camps, rather than just going out with the intention of fighting,” said Tatha, who added that his confidence and spirit drove him on, but the support from his hometown helped to inspire him.

“There were plenty of people there from Bentham. It feels great to have so many people behind you, and have a good following.”

Tatham’s next fight will be on June 7 at Blackpool Winter Gardens. His opponent is yet to be named.