RYAN Martin is likely to be stepped up in class should he successfully come through tonight’s fight.

The rising welterweight star faces the durable, but winless, Mathew Ashmole at the GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester over four rounds in his fourth professional bout.

The 21-year-old has comfortably won his first three contests in the paid ranks, the last being a points success over Kevin McCauley at the Oasis Leisure Centre in February.

And if Martin does what he is supposed to do this evening against his opponent from Swansea, then his manager Keith Mayo has already got his next move plotted.

“I think we will step Ryan up a level after this fight,” Mayo said. “I’m looking at having a smallish show in June in Swindon and Ryan is likely to be the headline bout.

“It will at least be a six-rounder perhaps even eight.”

Mayo says that he has been impressed with how the former Walcot and England amateur has looked in this camp.

The stylish fighter has spent time in Newport sparring with IBF world bantamweight title challenger Lee Selby as well as former British lightweight champion Gary Buckland ahead of this contest.

Martin’s bout with Ashmole is one of six fights on the Gloucester show with Kelvin Young’s British Masters Bronze super-middleweight title contest with Joe Walsh the main event - although that match is likely to be third on the show due to the times of trains returning to Swindon.

Dean Evans, who was defeated on points by Danny Bharj in February, has had a late change of opponent and will face Michael Stupart, while Bath-born middleweight Adam Harper faces Latvian middleweight Dmitrijs Ovsjannikovs, and Gloucester light-welterweight Danny Carter fights Matt Seawright.

Scott Gibbons JR, a light-heavyweight from Cheltenham, makes his debut in the pro ranks against Mitch Mitchell.