Aberdeen welterweight Dean Sutherland is targeting a massive title fight at P&J Live or Pittodrie in 2024.
Southpaw Sutherland defeated Zimbabwe’s Brendon Denes via seventh round stoppage at the Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen.
The win was Sutherland’s 15th of his pro career with just one defeat.
Sutherland, 24, dropped former WBF Intercontinental super-light champion Denes to the canvas with a devastating left hook to the body.
Denes recovered for a standing count but the 28-year-old’s corner threw in the towel.
Sutherland sold out the Beach Ballroom and confirmed he will fight for a title in the same venue before the end of the year.
However, he aims to box for a title at the city’s P&J Live or Pittodrie next year as he bids to shake up the welterweight division.
Sutherland said: “I need to be involved in big fights and want to push for major honours.
“I can’t really stay at this level of selling out the Beach Ballroom.
“By the end of this year I will get a big title.
“Most likely I will fight again in the start of September and then the end of November.
“It will definitely be a title fight. If September is not a title fight then November certainly will be.
“Then next year whether it is P&J Live or Pittodrie, I want to fight in as big a venue as possible.”
‘There was a lot of pressure on me’
Sutherland fought in the Granite City for the first time since suffering a shock Commonwealth title loss to Louis Greene at the Beach Ballroom last November.
It was Sutherland’ first, and only, defeat of his professional career.
He said: “There was a lot of pressure on me coming back to the Beach Ballroom for the first time.
“I had a couple of thing to overcome but I got the win and the stoppage.
“And that is all everyone will remember.”
‘I literally heard the smoke coming out of him’
The opening rounds were cagey with Sutherland struggling to impose himself.
Denes was able to land too many punches in a frustrating opening for the Aberdonian.
In the dying embers of the fourth Sutherland pinned Denes into the corner and landed a rapid left-right hook combination to the body that rocked the Zimbabwean.
In the sixth Sutherland again hurt Denes with a body shot.
Again it was the route to the body that did the damage as Sutherland unleashd the fight ending blow in the seventh.
A punishing left hook dropped Denes to the canvas and despite a valiant effort to beat the standing count, his corner then threw in the towel.
Sutherland said: “It was a frustrating one as it took a while to get into it.
“I had to force my work a little and was trying to look for that one shot maybe a little too much.
“He threw a lot of punches and many of them blocked on my hand.
“It looked like I was taking more shots than I did in there.
“I felt comfortable and as soon as I hit the fifth round I knew the energy was going out of him.
“He was punching less and running about more.
“I landed a body shot the round before and he felt it.
“Then as soon as I landed that body shot in the seventh I knew that was it.
“I literally heard the smoke come out of him and knew it was done.
“I would probably give myself a C for that performance.”
All Over in the 7th 🥊
'Deadly' Dean Sutherland ends the evening with a big TKO victory.💥
Dean had been controlling the fight from the opening bell and the pressure earned the breakthrough in the 7th.🔥
Big performance from Dean on his return to his home city.👊#boxing pic.twitter.com/o7gKW6Fe04
— Kynoch Boxing (@KynochBoxing) June 3, 2023
Denes went into the showdown with a record of nine wins (6KO) and three losses (2KO).
In preparation for the bout Sutherland underwent a gruelling 10-week training camp in London.
He said: “The time in London was tough, being away from my girlfriend, family and friends.
“It was train and rest round the clock. That hard work took a wee time to show against Denes, but hopefully it did.”
Teen star McPherson impresses
Meanwhile, Aberdeen lightweight Gregor McPherson bounced back from a recent stress fracture to his spine that sidelined him for 10 weeks.
That injury ruled McPherson out of a scheduled fight in the Granite City in March.
However the 18-year-old returned to the ring in style with a dominant 40-36 defeat of Manchester’s John Spencer.
The victory extended McPherson’s flawless professional record to three wins from three.
In the third round a brutal left hook from McPherson opened up the brow of Spencer’s right eye.
Following an assessment from the ringside doctor and referee Kenny Pringle he was deemed fit to continue.
In an impressive display of controlled aggression and rapid, accurate combinations McPherson had Spencer pinned to the ropes for the majority of the fight.
Dingwall’s Barlett suffers broken hand… but still wins
Rising Dingwall welterweight Ben Bartlett extended his 100 per cent professional record to seven wins from seven.
That win came despite the 23-year-old suffering a broken right hand just 30 seconds into the bout against Russian Vasif Mamedov
That early setback meant Bartlett had to rely heavily on his left jab.
Ultimately the cumulative effect of that accurate, swift, powerful jab increasingly broke through his opponent’s guard.
He still landed some rights in amidst rapid combinations. The composed performance in the face of adversity further underlined Bartlett’s quality and title potential.
Following the bout he went to hospital to get his broken hand assessed.
Kirkcaldy welterweight Paul Deas defeated Jake Osgood 60-54.
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