HARTLEPOOL boxer Craig Denton was today looking forward to a fight date in town – buoyed by his first stoppage win in his professional career.
Denton will top the bill at the Super Sunday Show on May 25 at Seaton Carew, where brother Mark will be making his professional debut.
And Craig will go into his seventh pro bout feeling "on top of the world."
The 25-year-old made a stunning fi
rst appearance in front of the Sky TV cameras in the undercard of last night's Paul Truscott v Osumanu Akaba Commonwealth featherweight title fight in Middlesbrough.
Craig stopped the rugged Ernie Smith inside two rounds of their middleweight match.
While Smith is a perennial loser, the 29-year-old had not been stopped since December 2006 – 19 fights ago.
Denton floored him twice with magnificent right upper cuts to leave the Worcestershire man wobbly and then a straight right put him down again.
Referee Mark Curry did not even start a count and waved off the match at two minutes 43 seconds of round two.
"When I put him down the first time, I couldn't believe it," said Denton.
"I thought 'am I dreaming here?' because Ernie Smith never gets put down.
"I boxed him at the Mayfair Centre last September and while I felt I shook him a couple of times, I couldn't stop him.
"But I was very pleased last night and now I'm looking forward to my next bout."
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