Another demolition job from Goldsmith

Goldsmith and Dominic Ingle celebrate Friday’s victory

IT looked, on paper, the toughest test of Bradley Goldsmith’s explosive, unblemished career.

Welshman Ricky Rowlands entered the ring on Friday night with only one loss in six.

Yet he was chewed up and violently spat out in three rounds at Leicester Arena on Friday night.

The 29-year-old wheeled away in abject agony after Coventry middle Goldsmith buried a right hook into his flank.

As Rowlands stumbled along the ropes, Goldsmith unleashed a volley of head shots until his opponent crumpled to the canvas.

The result has been recorded as a TKO at one minute 39 seconds of the round. Make no mistake, it was a KO – and Ricky suffered a broken jaw in the process.

He came to fight, catching 25-year-old Goldsmith with a clean left hook in the first, and that ambition only made his night more painful.

I planned it, I visualised it,” Bradley said of the finish. “Ideally, I wanted it to go five or six to get the rounds in, but I was happy to get him out of there in three.

“He was quite rangy and well schooled and came to win. He’d been a bit inactive and knew a win would catapult him back in the mix. When I got hit with that left I actually grew more in confidence because I knew he couldn’t hurt me.

“I went with a plan, I knew what shots would work in my favour. I kept it plain and simple, starting off to the body.”

Goldsmith, trained at Dominic Ingle’s Sheffield gym, is now 11-0, with seven of those victories coming inside distance.

A title fight can surely not be far away.

“I’d love to fight for the Commonwealth silver title or Midlands area,” he said, “but, any fight that pushes me up the rankings, I’ll accept it. I’ve always said as soon as an opponent steps up, so will I and Friday night was a superb example.

“I’ve been unlucky in the last 18 months in the sense of little setbacks, little injuries holding me back. But Friday did me the world of good – it pushed me to where I need to be. I’m confident in myself, my ability and my team.”

Goldsmith is also boosted by a large and loyal army of supporters.

He added: “I had 200 in attendance, I’m very lucky. It’s in Leicester, on Friday night on the same day the Euros started and still 200 made the journey.

“A ‘thankyou’ to them isn’t nearly enough. My gratitude towards them is unmatched.”