Hartlepool boxer Tommy Ward makes it 12 wins from 12 with victory in Blackpool

The Hartlepool boxer outclassed African KO specialist Isaac Owusu in Blackpool last night.

Ward won by a shut-out, referee Alvin Finch awarding a 60-54 scoreline at the dinner show at the Village Urban Resort.

The 20-year-old followed in the ringsteps of elder sibling Martin, who defeated Owusu by the same margin in Houghton at the end of November.

Last night represented a significant test for the Dave Garside-managed featherweight .

While the senior Ward is well into his twenties in terms of bouts, last night’s contest brought up just a dozen for the unbeaten talent.

But Tommy passed his test with flying colours.

Owusu, who boasts 18 stoppage wins among his 23 career victories, was not without ambition and on several occasions went looking to land a big shot on his young opponent.

However, Tommy refused to get hit, while peppering the former Ghana champ with his own rapid combinations.

Coach Neil Fannan told SportMail: “He never let the lad have a chance.

“Tommy boxed absolutely brilliantly.

“I was very very pleased with his performance, everyone who’s watched him before thought it was the best they’d seen him and I could not disagree.

“Tommy said after the fight that Owusu’s style had suited him.

“But I think that he was just being modest. In his last fight [against Chris Adaway in Sheffield] he started too fast and the lad came back into it.

“Last night he’d learned from that bout and he went out and boxed behind his jab, hardly had a glove laid on him and picked some nice combinations.

“In the fourth he stepped it up and I thought there may be a chance he could have got the lad out of there.

“But he’d hurt his right hand a bit so he’d lost power for the last couple of rounds.

“But he upped his speed and combinations and won superbly.

“That lad was no dummy – a few times he had a go at the start of the rounds and he never stopped trying but Tommy was pure class.”

Fannan was also pleased with the defensive work by the NES Securities-sponsored boxer.

“He took a couple of punches from Owusu,” said the trainer. “In boxing you are going to get hit sometime, but the trick is not to get hit with the man’s bet shots.

“Tommy’s speed and movement were too good and that meant he avoided Isaac’s best punches.”

Next up for the unbeaten star will be an appearance on the Collossal show, promoted by Phil Jeffries at Houghton on Sunday, March 8.

“It will be another six rounder and I can’t wait to watch him box again,” added Fannan.