New St Ives Boxing Academy recruit Liam Goodjohn made a sparkling start to his professional career last Saturday night.

Trainer Steve Whitwell was full of praise for the 29 year-old’s debut display as he floored Lithuanian opponent Silvije Kebet at the York Hall in London.

Goodjohn twice had his rival on the deck in the third round of the welterweight contest before the referee stepped in to call a halt.

Whitwell said: “Every fighter wants to get the first bout out of the way and Liam could hardly have been more impressive.

“We didn’t know too much about the Lithuanian kid, but he soon got to know all about Liam’s punch power.

“Liam loved getting involved in a scrap in his amateur days, but he used his height and reach advantages to perfection in this fight.

“Those are things we have worked hard on in the gym and it was great to see him take it into the ring with him and box to orders so well.

“He picked his shots wisely, he showed a lot of maturity and he finished the job well in the third round.”

Goodjohn is not expected to be back in action until the spring of 2016. He is set to become a father early next year.

The focus now shifts to Goodjohn’s younger brother, Tyler, who resumes his career at the same York Hall venue on December 5.

The former English light-welterweight champion steps up to welterweight for his return after being out of the ring since January.