SWINDON boxer Jamie Cox made an impressive return to action tonight at London's O2 seeing off tricky Midlands man Marcus Portman inside three rounds.

Despite being out of the ring for 14 months, Cox looked in great shape and dominated the fight early on. It was his first fight since stepping up to the light-middleweight division and against a former WBF world champion, but he looked far from out of place.

Cox dominated the centre of the ring throughout the opening round, forcing Portman onto the ropes on several occasions.

The former Commonwealth gold medalist was happy to trade punches with Portman but Cox's class was clear to see as he looked for an early finish.

A big right hook hurt Portman forcing him onto the ropes but Cox fell just short of a first round knockout.

It was more of the same from Cox in the second as Portman backed off, clearly concerned about the Swindon man's power.

The pair traded punches again but it was Cox who came out on top after each flurry.

Southpaw Cox did get caught by a big right hook from Portman in a rare moment when he let his guard down. But the 24-year-old Swindon man was merely stunned by the punch and soon forced Portman back onto the ropes to convincingly win another round.

An early finish always looked likely and just 51 seconds into the third round Portman failed to deal with a barrage of punches from Cox and the referee stepped in to stop the bout.

It was Cox's 15th career win and an impressive one that will surely see him move a step closer to challenging for a domestic title.

Don't miss Monday's Swindon Advertiser for a full report, reaction and pictures from Jamie Cox's big fight.