DARREN Tetley believes he showed improvements in his game after a comprehensive victory over Chris Jenkinson at the weekend.

Tetley improved his record to 19 wins from as many professional fights with an accomplished display over Jenkinson, knocking his opponent down in the last to take a 60-53 points decision after six rounds.

The Holme Wood fighter spoke in the build-up to the fight about how his training camp had been centered around building his fundamentals and he thinks he showed exactly that on the night.

“I said in an interview that we’ve gone back to the basics of boxing in the gym,” reflected Tetley. “Just making sure that my jab and one-twos are solid.

“Obviously, we knew that Chris was going to be tough. This fight wasn’t about getting a stoppage, it wasn’t about knocking him out.

“Ahead of my last fight, I said a week before to my wife ‘I’m going to stop him’. I had that mentality and it showed in my performance because I was swinging, but that meant that it was quite scrappy and I didn’t look good.

“In this fight, I wanted to show that I can actually box and I can stick to a plan. Chris played his own part in the fight, he caught me with a body shot from a right hand in the last round and I certainly felt that.

“I have to say thanks to him for being part of such a good fight.

“I’d like to think that I have shown improvements in my game in this fight. Especially from my last performance in comparison to this one.

“A few people have come up to me and said that I’m a different fighter from the one that boxed here in November last year.

“Have I still got things to work on? Of course, I have.

“But, the stuff that we’ve been working on in the gym obviously worked in the fight.

“I’ll be back in the gym on Monday and now it’s about pushing towards a big fight.”

Tetley made a fairly slow start to the contest, evidently warming himself back into the customs of the ring after seven months out of action.

The former WBO European champion was constant aggressor throughout though and at the end of the third and fourth rounds he finished with eye-catching bursts.

Jenkinson, having not boxed since April, was clearly feeling the affects of Tetley’s blows in the final two rounds, and was breathing heavily as Tetley forced the issue in the fifth.

By the sixth and final round, Tetley’s pressure eventually told as a left uppercut and right hook to the body put Jenkinson on one knee in the corner, exhibiting the power that had seen him stop three of his last four opponents.

The 26-year-old couldn’t add another stoppage to his record though, with Jenkinson fending off the hometown favourite until the final bell.

On the knockdown, Tetley said: “I think that the old version of myself, back in March, would have swarmed my opponent and gotten all over him.

“But, I just wanted to stick to the plan. I knew that everyone was shouting for me to jump on him, but that was never the plan.

“I know that it sounds daft as a boxer to say that you’re not bothered about stoppages, but I did want to put in an all-round good performance.

“I think out the three Bradford fights that I’ve had, I think was my best performance.”

This was Tetley’s third straight fight at the Bradford Hotel following his first professional title win for the WBO European belt in May last year over Mason Cartwright.

His frustration at being unable to secure such similarly high-profile contests was palpable.

“Looking forward now, I feel like a little bit of a broken record in saying this, but I want the big fights now,” he said.

“It has been tiring waiting around for opportunities. I want that phone to be ringing and hopefully that does happen.

“I’m wouldn’t mind fighting as the away fighter. Everyone wants to fight at home and keep their unbeaten record, but I’m not bothered about that if that’s what gets me the big fights.”