Professional boxing made a return in the UK for the first time since the Coronavirus outbreak – albeit behind closed doors at the BT Sport studios in East London.

The main event featured a British and Commonwealth title fight but according to George Gigney of Boxing News it was Humzah Sheeraz who “stole the show”.

The 21-year-old, from Ilford, had too much power for his Scottish rival Paul Kean, whose team decided to pull him out at the end of the sixth round.

Sheeraz is unbeaten in 11 fights with seven stoppages. Speaking on BT Sport former world heavyweight champion David Haye described it as a “10 out of 10 performance”.

The BBC’s boxing correspondent, Mike Costello, said the Asian boxer is a “terrific prospect,” with the Daily Telegraph’s Gareth A Davies lavishing similar praise on talkSPORT.

Speaking exclusively to Asian Image Sheeraz said: “It’s nice to read and hear such comments. It gives you a boost as it shows that you must be doing something right. It makes the training and sacrifices worth it.

“My profile has increased as there was a lot more media interest, especially in the build-up. I was one of the first boxers to get back into the ring since lockdown. I would normally sell around 300-400 tickets, but I had no friends or family cheering me on due to the strict restrictions. Hopefully by the time I’m in the ring again, the situation will have changed.

“I’m going to keep my feet on the ground. If you start to believe the hype, that’s when things start to go wrong. I will be back in the gym soon, back to normality, putting in the hours. There is a long way to go in my career. I’m just at the beginning.”

No opponent has been announced for his next fight scheduled to take place at the O2 set for October 24. The headline bout on the night will be an all-British heavyweight showdown between Daniel Dubois and Joy Joyce.

In the lead up to the Kean fight, Sheeraz revealed that his aunt had passed away due to COVID-19.

He added: “As you can imagine, it was a very testing time for the family. She always took a keen interest in my career. Boxing runs in the family as her brother, my uncle, was also a boxer.

“She would always watch my fights and give me feedback. It became a family ritual that she would cook a special meal as a way of a celebration after each fight. We all miss her. All I can do now is make her proud.”