IT’s onwards and upwards for boxer Kieran Gething after winning his second fight in the space of a month.

Hot on the heels of claiming the Welsh super-lightweight crown, Gething was pitting his wits against the ’Spanish Giant’ Damian Esquisabel for a six-rounder in the Welsh capital.

The fight went the distance, with Gething just edging his opponent out on points to win 58-57, but Gething believes the bout wasn’t as close as the scoreline reflects.

“I think I had more of an advantage over Esquisabel in the ring,” explained Gething. “I’m still a bit disappointed I didn’t perform a little bit better but I think the fact I’ve been training since December, and was coming into the fight less than a month after my title win against Tony Janes, seemed to have caught up with me a little bit on Friday.

“Having said that Esquuisabel was an awkward opponent. He picked his punches better than I anticipated and his size ensured he had a tricky little uppercut that I had to deal with, but apart from that it was a case of the old one-two and plain sailing.”

With a couple of weeks of recovery on the cards before his settles back into the saddle with a little light training, Gething is keen to keep the momentum going by returning to the ring sooner than later and explained, “Ideally I’d like to fight in a British eliminator but the timing might not be right for that so I’ve got my eyes on a Celtic title instead. An opponent like Scotland’s Craig MacIntyre wold be a good fit but we’ll have to wait and see what opportunities present themselves.”

Although disappointed that Friday’s fight wasn’t the powerhouse showcase he hoped for, Gething remains philosophical that he learned a lot from the encounter.

“I ticked a few boxes, put it that way. I’m now used to the venue (Vales Sports Arena) and the cameras, so the next time around I won’t be phased. It was good to fight on that sort of platform but ever since I was a kid I’ve always boxed to win trophies or titles, and last Friday’s fight was just another stepping stone in the direction I need to travel in order to win more.”