Ben Thomas vs Hedges Matchroom DAZN

John Hedges is relishing the prospect of more fights on the biggest stages after defeating Ben Thomas at The O2 on Saturday night.

The 19-year-old boxer, from Takeley, won all six rounds of the light-heavyweight contest to take the victory 60-54 in the capital as he made it four wins out of four in the professional ranks.

The 6ft 5in southpaw, who is part of promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing stable, was thrilled to get the better of his opponent in front of his fans as he fought on the undercard of the WBC, IBF and Ring Magazine Super-Lightweight Unification clash between Chantelle Cameron and Mary McGee.

And Hedges, who turned pro with S-Jam Promotions in April 2020, cannot wait to enter the ring in huge venues on a more regular basis, including a potential fight in Spain in December.

"It was a stand-out performance and a special night to remain undefeated and to get a clinical performance at only 19 years of age at The O2," said Hedges, who went to Forest Hall School in Stansted. "It was brilliant to see my 200-plus fans come out and watch - plus the others already in the venue - and it made the night even more special.

"Ben Thomas was a rangy fighter coming in a couple of pounds heavier, plus being 6ft 3in he was a big man. But I stuck to my game plan and could have potentially forced a stoppage/KO win as I had him hurt several times in the fifth and sixth rounds. I won every round.

"I had massive praise from my promoter Eddie Hearn as soon as I came out, saying how I'm maturing massively in each fight.

"To have four fights since my professional debut last October is unbelievable considering the pandemic, and I'm extremely grateful for the management and promotion team I have behind me.

"Staying in the light-heavyweight division for the time being, I can already see my opportunities getting bigger and bigger with fights next year being at some massive stadiums such as Wembley and The O2 again. It's the pinnacle of boxing to be able to showcase your skills in such glorious venues."

Coach Ed Harrison said "Massive Thanks to Kieran Farrell BEM as always and Neil Dempsey for doing Ben's wraps and helping us out in the corner. Well done to John. Excellent performance for a 19 year old. When he starts to sit down on his punches he will be a problem for a lot of people. Ben did really well and it was great chatting to Andy Lee and all the other guys on the show. We're just going to watch the rest of the fights now with Liam Doforo and then head back tomorrow morning".