Jason Welborn moves up to light middleweight

The night after his welterweight conqueror, Frankie Gavin, retained his belt for a second time, Welborn was back in action at Birmingham's Institute on Saturday.

The former Midlands champion, 27, put on extra pounds to outpoint capable Pole Tomasz Mazurkiewicz in the main event of promoter Marcus Anderson-Hitchen's well-attended bill.

And Welborn is planning to stay in the 11st division and target the likes of English champion Navid Mansouri and Commonwealth title holder Liam Smith on his path back to belts.

Welborn said: "I felt strong at the weight and I only had about three weeks notice for the fight. I think we are looking at maybe a Masters belt next to get me used to the title distance again.

"I think I am going to stick at light middle now but if titles come up at welterweight and I have got the time to get my weight down, then I can't rule that out, either.

"I could feel the difference boxing at light middle last week. My power was better, my recovery in the corner round to round was better, everything was better."

Mazurkiewicz displayed his own durability and was given a share of a round by the referee, Dudley's Shaun Messer, possibly for the last where both were warned for grappling.

Welborn had stung his opponent with two big right hooks in the second and looked to have him cornered with the latter shot in the corner, but Mazurkiewicz grinned and boxed his way out.

The visitor landed a big right hook of his own in the third but Welborn shrugged it off and started to work to the body, with both fighters' hands starting to drop from the fifth.

Welborn said: "I knew what I was getting in with, he's a tricky boxer who is clever and he was tough, too, I hit him with some good, clean shots and he kept on coming.

"I could feel the power behind those punches and he kept taking them, he was fit and game and it was good to get the six rounds in. I just used my jab and relaxed."

On the under-card, Smethwick-based Zimbabwean welterweight Disney Huni was defeated for the first time as a professional boxer in his second paid contest at the same venue.

Returning to the scene of his points win over London-based Bulgarian Danny Dontchev in April, Huni lost a 40-37 over-the-distance decision to Welshpool's Warren Sinden.

The 21-year-old managed to take a share of the third round in a slug-fest with Sinden but looked to be in trouble from a trade-off, only to fight back and bloody Sinden's nose.