KELVIN Young made a winning return to action with a comprehensive points decision over Tomas Kugler at the Oasis Leisure Centre.

The IBO intercontinental super-middleweight champion won all of the eight rounds against his opponent from the Czech Republic.

The 26-year-old should have had Kugler out of the fight early on but the current hero of Swindon boxing was enjoying his work and had far too much for a game but limited opponent.

“I’m a counter-puncher and, while he was coming forward, he wasn’t throwing anything for me to counter,” Young told the Advertiser after the fight.

“I probably should have had him out earlier but I enjoyed what I was doing in there.”

Young’s trainer Richard Farnan was less satisfied with his man having not stopped his 32-year-old opponent.

It is hard to be over critical of Young. He won every round, worked behind the jab and used combinations well, although he did receive a stern warning from referee Jeff Hinds for two low blows.

But the Penhill puncher will know that if he wants to make the division sit up and take notice of him, stoppage victories are now needed.

Young walked into the ring to a great fanfare and his departure was even louder.

“It was great to be out there again, I enjoyed it,” Young added.

But he’ll know he would have enjoyed it even more had he picked up his first stoppage win of his 18-fight career, which now reads 15 wins with three defeats.

Earlier in the night, Ryan Martin made a fine start to his professional boxing career with a 60-55 points win over veteran welterweight Jason Nesbitt.

Giving up seven pounds to his opponent, Martin moved slickly around the ring in this six, two-minute round contest, working the jab and trying to find a way through the Birmingham man’s tight guard.

The 40-year-old stunned the Swindonian in the third with an over-the-top right but the former England international wobbled Nesbitt in the following session before easing his way through to the final round.

Cruiserweight Tariq Quaddus made his return to the ring for the first time in six years to score a shut-out win over debutant Christian Gomez.

The 23-year-old had too much quality for the man from Plymouth, who insisted on throwing wild shots throughout the bout, and Quaddus used his right uppercut to break his opponent’s nose in the second, before seeing the fight through to claim the 40-36 decision.

The night started with a first-round stoppage for middleweight Freddie Kiwitt, as he had far too much power for Owen Raine, from County Durham, and referee Kieran McCann jumped in to stop the contest with 2.03 minutes of the opening session gone.

However, there was disappointed for Bristol-born light-heavyweight Ricky Pow in his fight with Josef Obeslo, which was called a technical draw.

The man now based in Alicante, Spain saw his fight waved off after 2.24 of the first round due to a cut above his left eye following a clash of heads.